AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Connective Tissue Disease, Heart Disease, NYU / 08.07.2015

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, FAHADirector of the Cardiovascular Research Program VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Professor, Depts of Medicine, Cell Biology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and NYU School of Medicine, New York, NYMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, FAHA Director of the Cardiovascular Research Program VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Professor, Depts of Medicine, Cell Biology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Boutjdir: Patients with autoimmune diseases including Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus and other connective tissue diseases who are seropositive for anti-SSA/Ro antibodies may present with corrected QTc prolongation on the surface ECG. This QTc prolongation can be arrhythmogenic and lead to Torsades de Pointes fatal arrhythmia. In our study, we established for the first time an animal model for this autoimmune associated QTc prolongation that is reminiscent of the clinical long QT2 syndrome. We also demonstrated the functional and molecular mechanisms by which the presence of the anti-SSA/Ro antibodies causes QTc prolongation by a direct cross-reactivity and then block of the hERG channel (Human ether-a-go-go-related gene). This hERG channel is responsible for cardiac repolarization and its inhibition causes QTc prolongation. We were able to pinpoint to the target epitope at the extracellular pore forming loop between segment 5 and segment 6 of the hERG channel. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, JACC, Lifestyle & Health / 08.07.2015

Liana C. Del Gobbo, PhDPostdoctoral Research Fellow Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy Tufts University Boston MAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Liana C. Del Gobbo, PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy Tufts University Boston MA Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Del Gobbo: Heart failure most commonly develops in adults over 65 years old- the most rapidly growing portion of the US population. The condition greatly reduces the quality of life of older adults. Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalizations in the US among those on Medicare, and is associated with large  health care costs. Prevention is key for reducing the burden of this disease. A detailed analysis of factors that might help prevent heart failure, such as a person's pattern of eating (as well as individual foods), in addition to other lifestyle factors (eg. smoking, physical activity, etc), had not been previously examined all together, in the same study. To get a fuller picture of how to prevent this condition, this study examined the relative importance of dietary habits and other lifestyle factors for development of heart failure. Our paper shows that older adults can cut their risk in half by adhering to a few healthy lifestyle factors, including moderate physical activity, modest alcohol consumption (eg. more than one drink/week, but not more than 1-2 drinks/day), not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight. (more…)
Author Interviews, Infections, Surgical Research / 08.07.2015

Paul M. Sethi, MD Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists Greenwich, CT MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Paul M. Sethi, MD Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists Greenwich, CT MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? Dr. Sethi: Propionibacterium acnes is one of the most significant pathogens in shoulder surgery; the cost of a single infection after shoulder arthroplasty may be upwards $50,000. Residual P. acnes may be found on the skin 29% of the time immediately after surgical skin preparation and in 70% of dermal biopsy specimens. Identifying more ideal skin preparation may help reduce the risk of infection. MedicalResearch: What is the purpose of this study? Dr. Sethi: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of topical benzoyl peroxide (BPO) cream, along with chlorhexidine skin preparation, to reduce the chance of identifying residual bacteria after skin preparation. Our hypothesis was that adding topical benzoyl peroxide to our skin preparation would reduce the number of positive P. acnes cultures identified during surgery. (more…)
Author Interviews, Insomnia, JAMA, Mental Health Research / 07.07.2015

Jason Ong, Ph.D., CBSM Associate Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences Director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Training Program Rush University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jason Ong, Ph.D., CBSM Associate Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences Director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Training Program Rush University Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Insomnia is a very common sleep problem that was previously thought to be related to another medical or psychiatric condition.  Evidence now supports the notion that insomnia can emerge as a disorder distinct from the comorbid condition.  In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), the most widely used nonpharmacologic treatment for insomnia, in the context of medical and psychiatric comorbidities. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies and found that 36% of patients who received cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia were in remission at post-treatment compared to 17% who received a control or comparison condition.  CBT-I had medium to large effects for improving sleep quality and reducing the amount of time awake in bed.  Positive findings were also found on the comorbid condition, with greater improvements in psychiatric conditions compared to medical conditions. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Nature / 07.07.2015

Dr. Gary K OwensRobert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VirginiaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Gary K Owens Ph.D Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Owens: The leading cause of death in the USA and worldwide is cardiovascular disease with many of the clinical consequences including heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) and strokes being secondary consequences of atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as hardening of the arteries. Importantly, a heart attack is not caused by gradual narrowing of a large coronary artery by the atherosclerotic plaque, but rather is caused by acute rupture of a plaque that results in a catastrophic thrombotic event that can completely occlude a major coronary artery shutting off blood supply to a major heart region. Similarly, rupture of a plaque can result in formation of a thrombus that breaks off and circulates to a cerebral vessel where it can occlude blood flow to a brain region leading to a stroke. As such, it is critical to understand the mechanisms that regulate the stability of plaques, and the likelihood of plaque rupture. The general dogma among clinicians and cardiovascular researchers has been that atherosclerotic plaques that have an abundance of macrophages and macrophage-derived foam cells relative to smooth muscle cells (SMC), the cells that normally line all of your blood vessels, are less stable and more prone to rupture with subsequent clinical consequences. However, the evidence for this is based on use of methods that are unreliable in identifying which cells within the plaque are truly derived from macrophages versus SMC, and even more importantly, what mechanisms regulate phenotypic transitions of these cells that are critical in the pathogenesis of this disease. Indeed, results of studies in cultured smooth muscle cells and macrophages have shown that each cell can express markers of the other cell type in response to stimuli likely to be present within advanced atherosclerotic lesions while down-regulating expression of their typical cell selective markers. As such, previous studies in the field have likely mis-identified which cell is which in many cases. The goals of our studies were to clearly identify which cells within advanced atherosclerotic lesions are derived from SMC, to determine the various phenotypes exhibited by these cells and their functional role in lesion pathogenesis,  and to determine what regulates these phenotypic transitions. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Dermatology / 07.07.2015

Wen-Qing Li Ph.D Department of Dermatology Warren Alpert Medical School Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RIMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wen-Qing Li Ph.D Department of Dermatology Warren Alpert Medical School Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disorder and may be an end-organ response in a systemic disorder. We systemically examined the association between personal history of rosacea and risk of cancer based on 75088 whites in the Nurses’ Health Study II, during a follow-up of 20 years. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: We suggest possible associations between personal history of rosacea and an increased risk of thyroid cancer and Basal Cell Cancer. Analyses did not find significant associations for other individual cancer types.  (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Lipids, Ophthalmology / 06.07.2015

Dr Ruth Hogg, Lecturer Centre for Experimental Medicine (formerly Centre for Vision and Vascular Science) Institute of Clinical Science Block Belfast Northern IrelandMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Ruth Hogg, Lecturer Centre for Experimental Medicine (formerly Centre for Vision and Vascular Science) Institute of Clinical Science Block Belfast Northern Ireland Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Hogg: The development of Diabetic macular edema (DME) in patients with diabetes can result in severe visual loss.  Understanding the factors driving the development of these conditions is important for developing effective treatments.  The role of lipids has been suggested by previous studies however as the evidence overall appeared to have significant uncertainty we decided to undertake a systematic review and where possible perform a meta-analysis or results. The study revealed that the evidence of a relationship between blood lipid levels and Diabetic macular edema from cohort and case control studies was strong but evidence from the randomised control trials (RCTs) was weak.  The RCTS evaluated however were often not designed to look at Diabetic macular edema as an primary outcome, and this was often part of a secondary analysis leaving uncertainty over the power to detect the association.  (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Cost of Health Care, Medicare / 06.07.2015

Joshua P. Cohen Ph.D Research Associate Professor Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development Boston, MassachusettsMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joshua P. Cohen Ph.D Research Associate Professor Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development Boston, Massachusetts Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Cohen: Florbetapir 18F was the first radioactive diagnostic agent approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for positron emission tomography imaging of the brain to evaluate amyloid â neuritic plaque density. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Cohen: Medicare has restricted coverage of florbetapir in the US, whereas conspicuously the UK NHS decided to reimburse the radiopharmaceutical. Note, the British NHS is generally more restrictive with regard to coverage of new technologies than the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Historically Medicare has rejected coverage of 25% of diagnostics approved by the FDA, but covers all FDA approved drugs administered in the physician’s office. Furthermore, Medicare has subjected labeled use of diagnostics, including a half-dozen Alzheimer's diagnostics, to its coverage with evidence development program while not subjecting any labeled uses of drugs to coverage with evidence development. In sum, diagnostics are subject to a level of scrutiny by Medicare that is rarely given Medicare Part B drugs (physician-administered). (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Radiation Therapy / 06.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Ananya Choudhury Consultant and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, Clinical Oncology The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road Withington, Manchester, UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Although more than half of newly diagnosed cancer patients are treated with radiotherapy, it is still not possible to select patients who will respond and tolerate radiotherapy compared to those who do not. There has been a lot of work done to try and isolate intrinsic biomarkers which will identify either radio-responsive or radio-resistant disease. We have undertaken a systematic view summarising the evidence for biomarkers as predictors of radiotherapy. Despite identifying more than 500 references during a systematic literature search, we found only twelve studies which fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Important exclusion criteria included pre-clinical studies, studies with no control population and a sample size of less than 100 patients. Only 10 biomarkers were identified as having been evaluated for their radiotherapy-specific predictive value in over 100 patients in a clinical setting, highlighting that despite a rich literature there were few high quality studies suitable for inclusion. The most extensively studied radiotherapy predictive biomarkers were the radiosensitivity index and MRE11; however, neither has been evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, FASEB / 05.07.2015

Milan Fiala, M.D. Research Professor, UCLA Department of Surgery Los Angeles, CAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Milan Fiala, M.D. Research Professor, UCLA Department of Surgery Los Angeles, CA Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Fiala: Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is well-known to public for its health benefits in cardiovascular diseases and putative benefits against “Minor Cognitive Impairment” reported in other studies . This study shows that omega-3 protected against oxidation and resveratrol improves the immune system against amyloid-beta in the brain,  probably by increasing its clearance from the brain by the immune system. Overall the patients taking the drink seemed to preserve their memory better for up to 2 years than expected based on previous studies. However, our study was small and not controlled by a placebo, which may present a bias.   (more…)
Author Interviews, Gastrointestinal Disease / 05.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Louise Emilsson, MD PhD, Postdoc Primary Care Research unit Vårdcentralen Värmlands Nysäter and Institute of Health and Society University of Oslo MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? Dr. Emilsson: Genetics is considered an important factor in the development of celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases. For e.g. the prevalence of celiac disease is about 10% in first-degree relatives of celiac patients compared to about 1% in the general population. Several earlier genome-wide association study (GWAS) studies have established shared genetic features also in-between different autoimmune diseases, however, very little is known about the risk of developing other autoimmune diseases in relatives of celiac patients. Therefore we assessed the risk of several other non-celiac autoimmune diseases (Crohn’s disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, systemic lupus erythematosus or ulcerative colitis) in all first degree relatives and spouses of Swedish celiac patients. MedicalResearch: What are the main findings? Dr. Emilsson: The main finding is that both first-degree relatives (+28%) and spouses (+20%) are at increased risk of other autoimmune diseases. There are several plausible explanations for these findings. One is of course that individuals with celiac disease and their first-degree relatives share a genetic autoimmune predisposition, another potential explanation involves shared environment (relevant for both first-degree relatives and spouses) but finally we cannot rule out that a certain degree of increased awareness of signs and symptoms in both first-degree relatives and spouses might lead to more examinations and thereby diagnoses (so-called ascertainment bias). Probably all these mechanisms contributed to the finding. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Cost of Health Care / 04.07.2015

Igho Onakpoya MD MSc Clarendon Scholar University of Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Oxford UKMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Igho Onakpoya MD MSc Clarendon Scholar University of Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Oxford UK MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Onakpoya: Several orphan drugs have been approved for use in Europe. However, the drugs are costly, and evidence for their clinical effectiveness are often sparse at the time of their approval. We found inconsistencies in the quality of the evidence for approved orphan drugs. We could not identify a clear mechanism through which their prices drugs are determined. In addition, the costs of the branded drugs are much higher than their generic or unlicensed versions. MedicalResearch: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. Onakpoya: Because of inconsistencies in the evidence regarding the benefit-to-harm balance of orphan medicines, coupled with their high prices, clinicians and patients should assess whether the orphan drugs provide real value for money before making a decision about their use for a medical condition. (more…)
Author Interviews, Columbia / 03.07.2015

Prof. Patrick L Kinney Ph.D. Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Director, Columbia Climate and Health Program Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NYMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Patrick L Kinney Ph.D. Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Director, Columbia Climate and Health Program Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Kinney: Many previous assessments have concluded that climate change will lead to large reductions in winter mortality. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Kinney: We carried out analyses that contradict this conclusion.  We argue that climate change won’t have much impact one way or the other on winter mortality. (more…)
Author Interviews, Columbia, Diabetes, NEJM, Weight Research / 03.07.2015

Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer MD Division of Endocrinology and Obesity Research Center Columbia University, New YorkMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer MD Division of Endocrinology and Obesity Research Center Columbia University, New York Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Pi-Sunye: In a large randomized trial, the drug Liraglutide was compared to placebo in overweight and obese non-diabetic volunteers. Over 52 weeks, in combination with diet and increased physical activity, Liraglutide lowered body weight by 8.4 kg as compared to 2.8 kg in placebo. 63% vs 27% lost at least 5% of baseline weight, 33% vs 10% lost more than 10% of baseline weight. (more…)
Author Interviews, Depression, Sexual Health, Testosterone / 03.07.2015

Michael S. Irwig MD Division of Endocrinology Medical Faculty Associates George Washington UniversityMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael S. Irwig MD Division of Endocrinology Medical Faculty Associates George Washington University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Many factors are associated with lower testosterone levels and many men who have their testosterone levels checked have non-specific depressive symptoms. The main finding is a remarkably high rate of depression and depressive symptoms (56%) in men who are referred for borderline testosterone levels. Other significant findings include a prevalence of overweight and obesity higher than the general population. (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Cancer Research / 02.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chao Cheng, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Genetics Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Hanover NH, 03755 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Cheng: Bladder cancer is a common tumor type, with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) representing the majority of cases. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment is an effective immunotherapy that is commonly used to treat cancers of this subtype. However, this treatment fails to suppress tumor recurrence in up to 40% of patients. For this reason, biomarkers that predict the recurrence/progression of bladder cancer and patient response to BCG therapy are needed to tailor treatment strategies to individual patients. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Cheng: We had previously developed an E2F4 signature that consisted of the E2F4 transcription factor and its target genes identified by ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip experiments. Here, we found that the E2F4 signature is predictive of the progression of both non-muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Furthermore, this signature is also predictive of patient responsiveness to intravesical BCG immunotherapy. Our results suggest that patients with positive E2F4 scores (indicating high E2F4 activity) benefit significantly from BCG therapy, while the progression of patients with negative E2F4 scores (indicating low E2F4 activity) does not show significant difference from untreated patients. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JNCI, NIH, OBGYNE / 02.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ashley S. Felix, PhD Bethesda, MD MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Felix: Endometrial cancer prognosis is strongly affected by disease stage, or the extent of spread from the primary site. Endometrial cancers can spread via the lymph nodes, blood vessels, through the uterine wall, or through the fallopian tube into the peritoneal cavity. The last of these mechanisms is poorly understood, but appears to be a more common mode of spread for aggressive histologic subtypes of endometrial cancer. We hypothesized that women who previously underwent tubal ligation (TL) and later developed endometrial cancer would have lower stage disease, possibly by blocking passage of tumor cells along the fallopian tubes. Further, we hypothesized that TL would be associated with better prognosis, due to its relationship with lower stage. We found that women in our study who previously had tubal ligation were more likely to have lower stage endometrial cancer compared with women who did not report a previous tubal ligation. Specifically, tubal ligation was inversely associated with stage III and stage IV cancer across all subtypes of the disease, including aggressive histologic subtypes. Further, in statistical models of tubal ligation, tumor stage, and mortality, we observed no independent association with improved survival, suggesting that tubal ligation impacts mortality mainly through its effects on stage. (more…)
Author Interviews, Ebola, Lancet / 02.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jana Broadhurst, MD, PhD Stanford University Nira R Pollock MD PhD Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: At present, diagnosis of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in west Africa requires transport of venipuncture blood to field laboratories for testing by real-time RT-PCR, resulting in delays that complicate patient care and infection control efforts. Therefore, an urgent need exists for a point-of-care rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for this disease. In this study, we performed a field validation of the Corgenix ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test kit, the only Ebola RDT authorized for emergency use by the WHO and FDA. This test is a dipstick lateral flow immunoassay designed to detect the Ebola virus VP40 protein in whole blood (collected by either fingerstick or whole blood) or plasma. We performed the rapid diagnostic test at the point-of-care on fingerstick blood samples from 106 individuals with suspected EVD presenting at two Ebola clinical centers in Sierra Leone. Separately, we performed the RDT on 284 venous whole blood samples submitted to the Public Health England field reference laboratory for clinical testing. Two readers independently scored each RDT as positive, negative, or invalid, with any disagreements resolved by a third. RDT results were compared with clinical real-time RT-PCR results obtained with the RealStar Filovirus RT-PCR kit 1.0 (altona Diagnostics GmBH). In point-of-care testing of fingerstick blood, the RDT had 100% sensitivity (95% CI 87.7-100) and 92% specificity (95% CI 83.8-97.1). Similarly, in venipuncture blood tested in the reference laboratory the rapid diagnostic test had 100% sensitivity (95% CI 92.1-100) and 92% specificity (95% CI 88.0-95.3). The two independent readers agreed for 95.2% of point-of-care and 98.6% of reference laboratory RDT results. The maximum cycle threshold (Ct) value was 26.3 in PCR-positive samples tested from both point-of-care (mean Ct 22.6) and reference laboratory (mean Ct 21.5) cohorts. Six of 16 banked plasma samples from RDT-positive and altona-negative patients were positive by an alternative real-time RT-PCR assay (the Trombley assay); 3 of 18 samples from individuals who were negative by both the RDT and altona test were also positive by Trombley. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, University of Pittsburgh, Weight Research / 02.07.2015

Anita P. Courcoulas M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S Professor of Surgery Director, Minimally Invasive Bariatric & General Surgery University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Anita P. Courcoulas M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S Professor of Surgery Director, Minimally Invasive Bariatric & General Surgery University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Courcoulas: This study is a randomized clinical trial that was originally funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) as a high priority comparative effectiveness topic; the goal of which was to better understand the role of surgical versus non-surgical treatments for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in people with lower Body Mass Index (BMI) between 30 and 40 kg/m2. This report highlights longer-term outcomes at 3 years following random assignment to either an intensive lifestyle weight loss intervention for 1 year followed by a low-level lifestyle intervention for 2 years or surgical treatments (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [RYGB] or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding [LAGB]) followed by low-level lifestyle intervention in years 2 and 3. (more…)
Author Interviews, CDC, Dermatology, JAMA / 02.07.2015

Dr Gery GuyMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gery P. Guy Jr., PhD, MPH Health Economist Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Guy: Indoor tanning exposes users to intense ultraviolet radiation, which damages the skin and can cause skin cancer, including melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer), basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Previous research has demonstrated that indoor tanning is common among adults in the United States. This study examined the changes in prevalence and frequency of indoor tanning among adults in the United States. Our study found significant reductions in indoor tanning among all adults, women, and men. From 2010 to 2013, 1.6 million fewer women and 400,000 fewer men indoor tanned. While these reductions are encouraging, nearly 10 million adults continue to indoor tan at least once a year. These individuals are trading a tan for an increased risk of skin cancer. While the tan is temporary, the risk for skin cancer is permanent. (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Chemotherapy, Nature, Pancreatic / 01.07.2015

Dr. Janaiah Kota Assistant Professor, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN,MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Janaiah Kota Assistant Professor, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN, Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Kota: Pancreatic cancer tumors are surrounded by a thick fibrotic shell known as “stroma” which protects the cancer cells from anticancer drugs such as chemotherapy. However, complete depletion of tumor stroma leads to more aggressive disease and decreases survival. The stromal abundance needs to be appropriately moderated (i.e. not too much nor too little) in pancreatic tumors. None of the current anti-stromal therapies have been effective enough to resolve this problem. Unless we understand the molecular signatures associated with tumor stroma, it will be challenging to develop an effective therapeutic strategy. There is a desperate need to develop new therapies for pancreatic cancer as only 7 percent of people with the disease survive more than 5 years after diagnosis. According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be an estimated 48,960 new cases of pancreatic cancer and 40,560 deaths from the disease in 2015. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Kota: We found that the loss of microRNA-29 (miR-29) is a common phenomenon of pancreatic cancer stromal cells, and that by restoring it, the viability and growth of the cancerous cells and stromal accumulation was reduced. The use of miR-29 as a therapeutic agent may be more effective in targeting reactive stroma, as a single miRNA regulates the expression of several genes associated with disease mechanisms. We expect that this novel approach has the potential to overcome the problems associated with current anti-stromal drugs and could lead to improved therapeutic strategies, enhanced drug delivery to the tumor bed, and, in the future, improved patient survival. (more…)
Author Interviews, Lancet, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Occupational Health / 01.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Klervi Leuraud, Epidemiologist Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety Cedex, France MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Leuraud: INWORKS was performed to quantify the risk of cancer mortality associated to protracted low doses of ionizing radiation typical of occupational or environmental exposures, as well as of diagnostic medical exposures. While such risks are well known for acute exposures as those experienced by the Japanese survivors of the A-bombs, there is still a lack of information for exposures experienced by the workers and the public. Our study confirms the existence of an association between leukemia mortality and chronic exposure to low doses received by nuclear workers. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology / 01.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jennifer Latimer PhD Department of Dermatology at Newcastle University Newcastle, UK MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? Dr. Latimer: There is extensive knowledge of the wavelength effects of UV on the skin to the nuclear DNA level. However the effects on mitochondrial DNA were unknown. The mitochondria have important links with aging and skin cancer and therefore knowing the individual UV wavelength effects is important. MedicalResearch: What are the main findings? Dr. Latimer: The main findings of this study were that the shorter and more energetic UVB wavelengths of UV were the most damaging to mitochondrial DNA. Furthermore we found that the skin fibroblast cells – those predominant in the deeper dermis layers of the skin were more sensitive to UV than keratinocytes, the main cells within the upper epidermis layer of the skin. (more…)
Author Interviews, Health Care Systems, Yale / 01.07.2015

MedicaIngrid Nembhard, PhD, MS Associate Professor, Yale School of Public Health & Yale School of Management Associate Director, Health Care Management Program YalelResearch.com Interview with: Ingrid M. Nembhard PhD MS Yale University New Haven, CT Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Nembhard: Many health care organizations (hospital, medical groups,  etc.) have sought to address well-documented quality problems by implementing evidence-based innovations, that is, practices, policies, or technologies that have been proven to work in other organizations. The benefits of these innovations are often not realized because adopting organizations experience implementation failure—lack of skillful and consistent use of innovations by intended users (e.g., clinicians). Past research estimates that implementation failure occurs at rates greater than 50% in health care. The past work also shows organizational factors expected to be facilitators of implementation are not always helpful. In this work, we examined a possible explanation for the mixed results: different innovation types have distinct enabling factors. Based on observation and statistical analyses, we differentiated role-changing innovations, altering what workers do, from time-changing innovations, altering when tasks are performed or for how long. We then examined our hypothesis that the degree to which access to groups that can alter organizational learning—staff, management, and external network— facilitates implementation depends on innovation type. Our longitudinal study of 517 hospitals’ implementation of evidence-based practices for treating heart attack confirmed our thesis for factors granting access to each group: improvement team’s representativeness (of affected staff), senior management engagement, and network membership. Although team representativeness and network membership were positively associated with implementing role-changing practices, senior management engagement was not. In contrast, senior management engagement was positively associated with implementing time-changing practices, whereas team representativeness was not, and network membership was not unless there was limited management engagement. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Radiation Therapy, UCLA / 01.07.2015

Dr. Mitchell Kamrava MD Department of Radiation Oncology University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Mitchell Kamrava MD Department of Radiation Oncology University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Kamrava: Breast conservation (lumpectomy followed by radiation) is known, based on multiple randomized trials with over 20 years of follow-up, to provided equivalent outcomes as mastectomy.  The radiation component of breast conservation has standardly been delivered to the whole breast.  Studies show that the majority of breast recurrences occur near the lumpectomy cavity causing some to ask whether it is necessary to treat the whole breast in order to reduce the risk of a recurrence. Partial breast radiation delivers treatment just to the lumpectomy cavity with a small margin of 1-2 cm.  It’s delivered in a shorter time of 1 week compared with about 6 weeks for standard whole breast radiation and 3-4 weeks for hypofractionated whole breast radiation. The original method developed to deliver partial breast radiation is interstitial tube and button brachytherapy.  This uses multiple small little tubes that are placed through the lumpectomy cavity to encompass the area at risk.  One end of these tubes can be connected to a high dose rate brachytherapy machine that allows a motorized cable with a very small radiation source welded to the end of it to be temporarily pushed in and out of each of the tubes so that the patient can be treated from “inside out”.  This helps concentrate the radiation to the area of the lumpectomy cavity while limiting exposure to normal tissues.  This treatment is most commonly delivered as an out-patient two times per day for a total of 10 treatments. The main finding from our paper is that in reviewing the outcomes on over 1,000 women treated with this technique with an average follow-up of 6.9 years that the 10 year actuarial local recurrence rate was 7.6% and in women with more than 5 years of follow-up physician reported cosmetic outcomes were excellent/good in 84% of cases. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Statins / 01.07.2015

dr-duk-woo-park.pngMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Duk-Woo Park, MD, PhD. Professor, Division of Cardiology Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul, Korea Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The applicability and potential clinical effects of the 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines on major cardiovascular outcomes in the “real-world” population remains uncertain and also should also be evaluated in multiple groups of various ethnic backgrounds. We determined the proportions of adult persons eligible for statin therapy by changes of 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines using a nationally representative sample from an Asian country (South Korea) and also we evaluated the potential clinical effects of this cholesterol guideline on future cardiovascular outcomes using an external validation cohort from the Korean National Health Examination. Similar to findings from the United States and the European cohort, our study showed that the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines would substantially increase the number of adults who would be potentially eligible for statin therapy in Korean population. In addition, the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines would have identified more cases with higher events of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for statin treatment than the ATP-III guidelines. (more…)
Asthma, Author Interviews, Nature, Nutrition / 01.07.2015

Dr. Alison Thorburn Ph.D. School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University Rockhampton, Queensland 4702, AustraliaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Alison Thorburn Ph.D. Department of Immunology Monash University Victoria, Australia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Thorburn: Asthma is a highly prevalent disease in the Western World. The prevailing explanation for this has been the hygiene hypothesis, which proposes that a decline in family size and improved hygiene has decreased exposure to infectious agents and therefore resulted in dysregulated immune responses that lead to asthma. However, recently there has been more attention on the role of diet and the gut microbiota in explaining the prevalence of inflammatory diseases in Western World. Indeed, many studies implicate obesity, as well as a high fat, low fruit and vegetable diet with higher prevalence of asthma. On the other hand, a Mediterranean diet, which is high in fruit and vegetables, is associated with lower prevelance of asthma. Interestingly, the consumption of dietary fiber is reduced in severe asthmatics. These and other data suggest that the diet (particularly dietary fibre) and the gut microbiota may play an important role in the development of asthma. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Thorburn: The main findings of this study are that: -        In mice: A high-fiber diet promotes a gut microbiota that produces high levels of anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly acetate. Acetate (alkaline form of vinegar) suppressed the development of allergic airways disease (AAD, a model for human asthma) in adult mice and the offspring of pregnant mice. -        In humans: High dietary fiber intake during late pregnancy is associated with higher acetate levels in the serum and a decrease in the percentage of infants showing predictors for asthma development in later life. -        The mechanism underlying these findings involves increasing T regulatory cell number and function through epigenetic mechanisms, which enhance immune regulation to prevent inflammation. (more…)
Aging, Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness / 30.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Andreas Vigelsø PhD, research assistant University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences Center for Healthy Aging Dept. of Biomedical Sciences Copenhagen Denmark Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: According to the UN, the number of individuals more than 60 years old is expected to more than double, from 841 million worldwide today to more than 2 billion in 2050. Furthermore, the aging process is associated with a reduction in muscle mass, strength and fitness level. Collectively, this may contribute to frailty and may limit independent living. In addition, disease or injuries that can cause short-term immobilization are a further threat to independent living for older individuals. Despite its clinical importance for an increasing population of older individuals, few studies have examined older individuals after immobilization. Thus, our aim was to determine the effect of aerobic retraining as rehabilitation after short-term leg immobilization on leg strength, leg work capacity, and leg muscle mass in young and older men. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: Interestingly, our study reveals that inactivity affects the muscular strength in young and older men equally. Having had one leg immobilized for two weeks, young people lose up to a third of their muscular strength, while older people lose approx. one fourth. A young man who is immobilized for two weeks loses muscular strength in his leg equivalent to ageing by 40 or 50 years. Moreover, short-term leg immobilization had marked effects on leg strength, and work capacity and 6 weeks’ retraining was sufficient to increase, but not completely rehabilitate, muscle strength, and to rehabilitate aerobic work capacity and leg muscle mass. (more…)