Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, General Medicine / 06.11.2014

Christopher J. Ferguson PhD. Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology Department of Psychology Stetson University DeLand, FL MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Christopher J. Ferguson PhD. Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology Department of Psychology Stetson University DeLand, FL Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Ferguson: People have debated whether media violence contributes to societal violence for centuries.  A lot of individual laboratory experiments have tried to answer this question, but results have always tended to be inconsistent.  Not too much data had yet looked at concordance between media violence and societal violence.  In the current study I examined levels of movie violence across the 20th century, and video game violence in the latter part of the 20th, into the 21st century.  Results generally indicted that it was not possible to demonstrate that media violence consumption correlated with increased crime in society. (more…)
Author Interviews, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Rheumatology / 06.11.2014

Professor Flavia Cicuttin School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University and Alfred Hospital Melbourne, AustraliaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Flavia Cicuttin School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University and Alfred Hospital Melbourne, Australia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Prof. Cicuttin: Previous research found that low birth weight and preterm birth have been linked to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and reduced bone mass in adulthood.  Given these adverse outcomes related to birth weight and preterm birth we set out to investigate if low birth weight and preterm birth also played a role in increase risk of joint replacement surgery as adults. We found that  low birth weight and preterm birth were associated with a 2-fold increased risk of hip but not knee replacement surgery. (more…)
Author Interviews, Genetic Research, Nature, NYU / 06.11.2014

Leslie Mitchell, PhD New York University Langone Medical Center Boeke Lab, Institute for Systems Genetics NY NY, 10016MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Leslie Mitchell, PhD New York University Langone Medical Center Boeke Lab, Institute for Systems Genetics NY NY, 10016 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Mitchell: One of our major interests is building synthetic chromosomes. Typically we construct synthetic chromosomes using a bottom-up approach, first designing the sequence in silico and then synthesizing and piecing together the DNA to build the designer molecule. While eukaryotic chromosomes are usually linear in structure, oftentimes we build our designer synthetic chromosomes as circular molecules to take advantage of cloning technologies available in E. coli, an organism that tolerates only circular chromosomes. We developed the telomerator as a means by which to convert circular synthetic chromosomes into linear molecules, which more closely resemble the native chromosomes found in eukaryotic cells. We discovered that the telomerator is an extremely effective tool for generating linear derivatives of circular synthetic chromosomes. There are two main reasons for this.
  • First, the action of the telomerator can be assessed using a simple phenotypic assay so it is easy to differentiate cells that encode linear synthetic chromosomes from those with the circular format.
  • Second, the telomerator encodes ‘telomere seed sequences’ that are exposed and recognized by the cell upon linearization, thus the ends of a newly linearized chromosome are protected, which ensures its stability over generations. We put the telomerator to the test by integrating it in 54 different positions on a circular synthetic yeast chromosome called synIXR (Dymond et al. 2011). In 51 of the 54 positions we could successfully linearize the synIXR chromosome and recover viable cells, however many of the different linear derivatives conferred growth defects. We determined the mechanism underlying both the growth defects and lethality associated with linearization to be telomere position effect. In other words, when essential genes were re-positioned near telomeres their reduction in expression due to subtelomeric silencing was detrimental to the cell.
(more…)
Aging, Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care / 06.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Amalavoyal Chari PhD Department of Economics, University of Sussex Brighton UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Chari: It is well-known that in the United States, informal (unpaid) caregiving by family members and friends is the primary source of long-term care for the elderly population: Recent estimates indicate that nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States provides care to an elderly relative or friend over the age of 50. Informal care is not really “free”: Rather, it diverts caregivers’ effort from other productive activities, and the value of these displaced activities is the opportunity cost of informal elder-care. Estimates of this cost have been limited by the lack of nationally representative data with detailed information to allow an assessment of the value that caregivers attach to time and time spent providing care. Our study utilizes new and unique data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) to remedy this deficit, and to provide careful, up-to-date estimates of the opportunity costs of informal eldercare in the United States. We find that informal care is mainly provided by working-age adults, who consequently bear most of the economic burden in terms of opportunity costs. We find that the price tag for informal caregiving of elderly people by friends and relatives in the United States comes to $522 billion a year. Replacing that care with unskilled paid care at minimum wage would cost $221 billion, while replacing it with skilled nursing care would cost $642 billion annually. (more…)
Author Interviews, NEJM, Rheumatology / 06.11.2014

Professor Paul Emery Arthritis Research UK Professor of Rheumatology Director - Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, LTHT Director – Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine University of LeedsMedicalResearch.com Interview Professor Paul Emery Arthritis Research UK Professor of Rheumatology Director - Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, LTHT Director – Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine University of Leeds Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Professor Emery: Joint damage and functional disability are common in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), even in those with early disease. We know that early aggressive treatment with biologics, such as the anti-TNF agent etanercept, results in rapid remission in many patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, which can help reduce the risk of joint destruction and disability long term. However, we don’t yet know whether remission achieved with biologic therapy can be maintained after doses are reduced or therapy is withdrawn. The PRIZE trial, a “state-of-the-art” biologic treatment trial conducted in adults with early untreated rheumatoid arthritis, was designed to fill this knowledge gap. The trial included three phases:
  • 1) induction therapy with full-dose combination etanercept-methotrexate therapy;
  • 2) maintenance therapy with a reduced-dose etanercept-methotrexate regimen, methotrexate alone, or no treatment; and
  • 3) complete treatment withdrawal. After clinical remission was induced, remission was shown to be effectively maintained with the reduced-dose combination regimen but not with the biologic-free regimens.Significantly more patients who had received the reduced-dose regimen were in remission after therapy was withdrawn than patients who received no therapy after remission induction. Interestingly, however, after remission was induced with the full-dose combination regimen, no substantial progression of joint damage on x-ray was seen in patients receiving the reduced-dose regimen, methotrexate only, or no treatment.
(more…)
Alcohol, Author Interviews, Hearing Loss / 06.11.2014

Sharon G. Curhan, MD, ScM Channing Division of Network Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sharon G. Curhan, MD, ScM Channing Division of Network Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Curhan: Hearing loss is a highly prevalent and disabling chronic condition that can impair communication, quality of life, and health. Although it is often perceived as an inevitable companion of aging, recent evidence suggests modifiable factors can potentially aid in prevention or slow progression of hearing loss. Alcohol consumption may influence several mechanisms that have been proposed to underlie age-related hearing decline. Although chronic excess alcohol intake has been associated with irreversible hearing loss and acute alcohol intake may temporarily impair auditory function, some evidence suggests that long-term moderate alcohol intake may protect against hearing loss. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease / 06.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ning Tan, MD, PHD Senior Consultant Cardiologist. Department of Cardiology Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute Guangdong General Hospital Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou, Guangdong, China Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Tan: In this study, we evaluated whether Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an independent risk factor of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We prospectively enrolled 3236 consecutive patients undergoing PCI in our hospital and demonstrated that LDL-C is significantly and independently associated with CI-AKI in patients undergoing PCI. (more…)
Alcohol, Author Interviews, Genetic Research / 05.11.2014

Victor M. Karpyak, M.D., Ph.D. Medical Director, Intensive Addiction Treatment Program Director, Mayo Clinic Addiction Services Consultant, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Mayo Clinic College of Medicine MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Victor M. Karpyak, M.D., Ph.D.  Medical Director, Intensive Addiction Treatment Program Director, Mayo Clinic Addiction Services Consultant, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology Assistant Professor of Psychiatry  Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Karpyak: The staggering costs of alcohol use disorders call for the development and implementation of evidence-based treatment strategies. Several medications (acamprosate, naltrexone, and disulfiram) were approved for treatment of alcohol use disorders; yet, only a fraction of patients respond to each medication. Clearly, response predictors are needed to improve treatment efficacy and personalize recommendations for treatment selection. It is expected that pharmacogenomic research will aid the discovery of such predictors. (more…)
Author Interviews, Erasmus, Gastrointestinal Disease, Pediatrics / 05.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Anne Tharner, PhD and Jessica C. Kiefte-de Jong, PhD Department of Epidemiology Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam The Netherlands Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Constipation is one of the most common health problems in children, and occurs in most cases without organic reason. In our study, we examined if fussy eating behavior might be related to constipation in children. “Fussy eaters” are children who reject specific foods – often (green and bitter) vegetables – and often compensate this with the intake of less healthy but highly palatable foods (such as fast food or sweets). This kind of diet might be one of the reasons for constipation in children, but at the same time, children might develop difficult eating patterns due to digestive problems such as constipation. Therefore, we examined whether fussy eating and functional constipation mutually affect each other, which might point to the development of a vicious cycle. We examined this in a large study including almost 5000 children aged 2-6 years who participated in a longitudinal study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Families were regularly followed up starting in pregnancy. Our main finding was that fussy eating co-exists with functional constipation and also predicts subsequent development of functional constipation. In addition, we also found evidence for the reverse, as functional constipation predicted subsequent fussy eating behavior. Together with previous studies, our findings suggest that indeed a vicious cycle may develop throughout childhood in which children’s constipation problems and problematic eating behavior mutually affect each other. On the one hand, fussy eating might affect the development of functional constipation via poor dietary quality which is a characteristic for the diet of fussy eaters. On the other hand, our findings show that functional constipation in also predicts future fussy eating. This pathway is less well studied, but it is conceivable that children with constipation and the accompanying abdominal pain and painful defecation may develop problematic eating behavior. (more…)
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Hepatitis - Liver Disease, NIH / 05.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Anita Kohli, MS, MD Clinician Investigator, Clinical Monitoring Research Program (CMRP) Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. formerly SAIC-Frederick, Inc. National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Kohli: We previously treated 60 patients with sofosbuvir and ribavirin for 24 weeks. Patients who relapsed after treatment were offered re-treatment with another regimen of directly acting antivirals alone. 13 patients who relapsed were treated with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir for 12 weeks. All patients achieved SVR12. This is the first report of re-treating patients who failed a regimen including sofosbuvir with another regimen incorporating this same antiviral. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease / 05.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Bilal Iqbal MD Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust Harefield Hospital Middlesex United Kingdom. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Iqbal: The optimal strategy for revascularization of bystander coronary disease at the time of PPCI is unknown. Certainly, this has been the focus of recent debate and randomized controlled trials. We evaluated a strategy of culprit vessel versus multivessel intervention at the time PPCI in the real world setting. We conducted an observational analysis of 3984 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) who had multivessel disease. We excluded patients with cardiogenic shock and patients with bystander LMS disease, which may potentially dictate staged surgical intervention. When analysing all-cause mortality at 1 year, we found that a strategy of culprit vessel intervention only at the time of PPCI was associated with increased survival at 1 year. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA / 05.11.2014

Thomas M. Maddox MD MSc Cardiology, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System Associate Director, VA CART ProgramMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Thomas M. Maddox MD MSc Cardiology, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System Associate Director, VA CART Program Associate Professor, Department of Medicine University of Colorado School of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Maddox: Nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is atherosclerotic plaque that would not be expected to obstruct blood flow or result in anginal symptoms (such as chest pain). Although such lesions are relatively common, occurring in 10 percent to 25 percent of patients undergoing coronary angiography, their presence has been characterized as “insignificant” or “no significant CAD" in the medical literature.  However, this perception of nonobstructive coronary artery disease may be incorrect, because prior studies have noted that the majority of plaque ruptures and resultant myocardial infarctions (MIs; heart attacks) arise from nonobstructive plaques. Despite the prevalence of nonobstructive CAD identified by coronary angiography, little is known about its risk of adverse outcomes, according to background information in the article. During the study period, 37,674 patients underwent elective coronary angiography for indications related to CAD; of those, 22.3 percent had nonobstructive CAD and 55.4 percent had obstructive CAD.  Within 1 year, 845 patients died and 385 were rehospitalized for myocardial infarction. The researchers found that the 1-year myocardial infarction risk progressively increased by the extent of coronary artery disease, rather than abruptly increasing between nonobstructive and obstructive CAD.  Patients with nonobstructive CAD had an associated risk of MI that was 2-to 4.5-fold greater than among those with no apparent coronary artery disease. Similar observations were seen with 1-year mortality and the combined outcome of 1-year myocardial infarction and death. (more…)
Author Interviews, Emergency Care, PLoS / 05.11.2014

Anna Alassaad Pharmacist, PhD Student, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, SwedenMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Anna Alassaad Pharmacist, PhD Student, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The main findings from our study are that patients with a low number of prescribed drugs benefited more from a comprehensive clinical pharmacist intervention than patients with a higher number of drugs. There was no difference in effect between the patients with higher and lower levels of inappropriate prescribing, as measured by two validated tools for inappropriate prescribing. Clinical pharmacist interventions have in several studies shown positive effects on inappropriate prescribing and clinical outcomes. Since the concomitant use of a large number of drugs is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug events, it is often assumed that patients receiving a larger number of drugs would benefit most from interventions aiming to improve the quality of drug use. However, differences in the effects of clinical pharmacist intervention between different subgroups of patients have rarely been analyzed. We have, in a randomized controlled trial, previously demonstrated that a clinical pharmacist intervention at an acute internal medicine hospital ward reduces emergency department visits by 47%, revisits to hospital by 16%, and drug-related readmissions by 80% for patients aged 80 years or older. We aimed to investigate whether there was any difference in treatment effect of the clinical pharmacist interventions on number of subsequent revisits to the emergency department between the patients with less than five drugs and those with five or more drugs on admission to hospital. We also explored whether the effect of the intervention was consistent for patients with a high or low level of inappropriate prescribing. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 05.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Angela Alberga, PhD Eyes High Postdoctoral Fellow Werklund School of Education University of Calgary Ronald J. Sigal, MD, MPH, FRCPC Professor of Medicine, Kinesiology, Cardiac Sciences and Community Health Sciences Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary Health Senior Scholar, Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions Member, O'Brien Institute of Public Health, Libin Cardiovascular Institute and Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Response: The Healthy Eating, Aerobic and Resistance Training in Youth study examined the effects of exercise on body composition and cardiometabolic risk markers in adolescents with obesity. A total of 304 overweight or obese adolescents were randomized to four groups. The first group performed resistance training involving weight machines and some free weights; the second performed only aerobic exercise on treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bikes; the third underwent combined aerobic and resistance training; and the last group did no exercise training. All four groups received nutritional counseling. In analyses involving all participants regardless of adherence, each exercise program reduced percent body fat, waist circumference and body mass index to a similar extent, while the diet-only control group had no changes in these variables. In participants who exercised at least 2.8 times per week, we found that combined aerobic and resistance training produced greater decreases in percentage body fat, waist circumference, and body mass index than aerobic training alone. Waist circumference decreased close to seven centimeters in adherent participants randomized to combined aerobic plus resistance exercise, versus about four centimeters in those randomized to do just one type of exercise, with no change in those randomized to diet alone. (more…)
Author Interviews, MRSA / 05.11.2014

Melissa Ward PhD CIIE Research Fellow Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution University of EdinburghMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Melissa Ward PhD CIIE Research Fellow Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution University of Edinburgh   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Ward: We studied a strain of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus known as CC398, which can colonise and cause MRSA infection in humans and livestock. People and animals generally harbour genetically distinct variants of CC398, but we found human isolates, including a small number from Scottish hospitals, which were more similar to the livestock strains. Such isolates were resistant to a larger number of antibiotics than the CC398 strain which typically circulates in humans. By looking at the genetic sequences of strains from across the globe, we also inferred that CC398 has entered Scotland on multiple occasions. (more…)
Asthma, Author Interviews / 04.11.2014

Robert H. Schiestl, Ph.D. Professor of Pathology, Environmental Health and Radiation Oncology UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health Los Angeles, CA 90095MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Robert H. Schiestl, Ph.D. Professor of Pathology, Environmental Health and Radiation Oncology UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health Los Angeles, CA 90095 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Schiesti: We studies whether asthma has any effect on peripheral blood and we found that it significantly increased DNA double strand breaks, single strand breaks, oxidative DNA damage, inflammation and oxidative protein damage. (more…)
Author Interviews, CMAJ, Diabetes, Electronic Records / 04.11.2014

Dr. Tim A. Holt PhD MRCP FRCGP NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer University of Oxford Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Woodstock Road OxfordMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Tim A. Holt PhD MRCP FRCGP NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer University of Oxford Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Woodstock Road Oxford Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Holt: Undiagnosed diabetes is a serious and very costly problem. Early diagnosis is important to reduce risk of long term complications. A structured approach to management at the practice level involves electronic diabetes registers, enabling audit of care, automated recall, and screen reminders. Such registers depend on the presence of an electronic code for diabetes in the record.  (more…)
Author Interviews, Chemotherapy, Dermatology / 04.11.2014

N. T. Georgopoulos, PhD Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences Department of Biological Sciences School of Applied Sciences University of HuddersfieldMedicalResearch.com Interview with: N. T. Georgopoulos, PhD Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences Department of Biological Sciences School of Applied Sciences University of Huddersfield Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Georgopoulos: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the most distressing side effect of chemotherapy and the anxiety caused by the prospect of Chemotherapy-induced alopecia can cause some cancer patients to even refuse treatment. Various classes of chemotherapeutic drugs such as taxanes (e.g. docetaxel), alkylating agents (e.g. cyclophosphamide) and anthracyclines/DNA intercalating agents (e.g. doxorubicin) target tumour cells due to their rapid division rate; however, these drugs also target the hair matrix keratinocytes, the most rapidly dividing cell subset in the hair follicle, thus resulting in follicle damage and ultimately hair loss. The only currently available preventative treatment for Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is head (scalp) cooling; scalp cooling during chemotherapy drug administration can substantially reduce hair loss and has been used since the 1970s. However, until recently there was inadequate biological data to support the cyto-protective capacity of cooling; yet such experimental evidence would be important to convince clinicians and patients of the efficacy of cooling. Moreover, it is not clear why in some patients scalp cooling fully protects from Chemotherapy-induced alopecia whereas in other patients it is less efficient. Finally, although scalp cooling can substantially reduce the incidence of hair loss in response to individual drugs, for some combined treatment regimens scalp cooling has much lower (and often quite limited) reported efficacy. Collectively, the need to answer these questions, and to provide ‘real’ experimental data that will support the ability of cooling to ‘rescue’ cells from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy drugs, led us to carry out the study. Using several cell culture models (including human hair follicular keratinocytes), we showed for the first time that cooling dramatically reduces or completely prevents the cytotoxic capacity of drugs such as docetaxel, doxorubicin and the active metabolite of cyclophosphamide (4-OH-CP), whilst combinatorial treatment showed relatively poor response to cooling. Our experimental, in vitro findings are in close agreement with clinical observations. Moreover, we have provided evidence that the minimum temperature achieved may be critical in determining the efficacy of cooling; as the lowest temperature achieved by scalp cooling can differ between patients (our unpublished observations), our findings may also explain why cooling protects from Chemotherapy-induced alopecia better in some patients but not others. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Circadian Rhythm, Cognitive Issues, Metabolic Syndrome, Occupational Health / 04.11.2014

Dr. Philip Tucker Department of Psychology | Yr Adran Seicoleg College of Human and Health Sciences | Coleg y Gwyddorau Dynol ac lechyd Swansea University | Prifysgol Abertawe Singleton Park | Parc Singleton Swansea | Abertawe Medical Research: What is the background for this stuMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Philip Tucker Department of Psychology | Yr Adran Seicoleg College of Human and Health Sciences | Coleg y Gwyddorau Dynol ac lechyd Swansea University | Prifysgol Abertawe Singleton Park | Parc Singleton Swansea | Abertawe Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Tucker: Shift work, like jet-lag, is known to disrupt workers’ normal circadian rhythms (i.e. their body clocks) and their social life. It is also associated with greater risk of developing ulcers, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, breast cancer and reproductive problems. Several studies have also shown that shift workers experience heightened fatigue and sleepiness, particularly at night, and this may affect job performance and safety. However, very little is known about the long-term consequences of shift work on cognitive abilities. We followed a large sample of shift workers and non-shift workers over 10 years, testing their cognitive performance every 5 years. We found that the shift workers’ cognitive performance was lower than that of the day workers.  The difference was greatest for those who had worked shifts for more than 10 years. The shift workers’ cognitive function recovered after they quit shift work, but this recovery took at least 5 years from time that they stopped working shifts. The effects could not be attributed to poorer sleep quality among shift workers. Rather, it seems likely that the findings reflect the disruption of the shift workers’ circadian rhythms, which as been shown by other researchers to have an impact on brain structures involved in cognition and mental health over the lifespan. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, University of Pittsburgh / 04.11.2014

Yuting Zhang, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director Pharmaceutical Economics Research Group University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yuting Zhang, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director Pharmaceutical Economics Research Group University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management. Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Zhang: Patients with atrial fibrillation who take the blood thinner dabigatran are at greater risk for major bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding than those who take warfarin, indicating that greater caution is needed when prescribing dabigatran to certain high-risk patients. High-risk groups include those who are 75 and older; African Americans; those with chronic kidney disease; and those with seven or more co-existing medical problems. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer, Cancer Research, Psychological Science / 04.11.2014

Linda E. Carlson, Ph.D., R.Psych. Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions Health Scholar Professor, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts University of Calgary Clinical Psychologist, Director of Research Department of Psychosocial ResourcesMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Linda E. Carlson, Ph.D., R.Psych.                Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions Health Scholar Professor, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts University of Calgary Clinical Psychologist, Director of Research Department of Psychosocial Resources Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Carlson: We have been investigating the effects of cancer support programs including the two in this study, Mindfulness-based cancer recovery, an 8-week group program in which patients learn mindfulness meditation and gentle yoga, and supportive-expressive therapy, a 12-week program where patients share difficult emotions in a supportive group environment. We know there is psychological benefit of these programs, but what about effects in the body? Telomeres are the protective caps on the end of chromosomes (like the tips on shoelaces) that protect them from damage and degredation. They are longest when we are young and naturally get shorter as we age. Shorter telomere's are associated with higher risk for many diseases, including cancer, and people with higher stress levels tend to have shorter telomeres. This is the first study to investigate whether short psychosocial interventions can affect telomere length in cancer pateints. We randomly assigned breast cancer survivors with cancer-related distress, feelings such as anxiety, fear, worry, and depression, to either mindfulness-based cancer recovery, supportive expressive therapy or a control group that just had a minimal intervention. We took blood samples before and after the groups (or at equal time points for those in the control condition) and measured the length of the telomeres. Women in both of the active support groups maintained the length of their telomeres over time, but the telomere length of women in the control group became shorter. This is the first controlled study to show that short-term interventions can actually have some effect on cellular aging in the telomeres. (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, General Medicine, Heart Disease / 03.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Arnold Ng, MBBS, PhD Department of Cardiology Princess Alexandra Hospital University of Queensland, Australia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Arnold: The WHO and American Diabetes Association currently recommends the use of HbA1c >=6.5% as a diagnostic criterion for diabetes. HbA1c is advantageous over fasting plasma glucose and glucose tolerance testing by avoiding the need for patient fasting and inconvenient patient preparation. In addition, patients who are acutely unwell (e.g. STEMI) may develop stress hyperglycemia, complicating the diagnosis of diabetes. It is currently unclear if HbA1c (indicative of overall glycemic control) or fasting plasma glucose predicts worse left ventricular function after acute STEMI. The present study demonstrated that HbA1c identified approximately another 20% of previously undiagnosed patients as diabetic. Furthermore, the present study was first to demonstrate that HbA1c, not fasting plasma glucose, was independently associated with more impaired LV diastolic function and elevated filling pressures after STEMI. (more…)
Author Interviews, Autism, JAMA / 03.11.2014

dr_stefan_hansenMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stefan Nygaard Hansen PhD Student, MSc Stat Section for Biostatistics Department of Public Health Aarhus University Denmark Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Response: The main finding of our study is that 60% of the observed increase in autism prevalence among children born 1980-1991 in Denmark can be explained by changes in the way diagnoses are established and changes in the subsequent registration to national health registries. In 1994, the diagnostic criteria used by clinicians to establish psychiatric diagnoses was changed. This meant the recognition of autism as a spectrum of disorders but it also meant changes in the specific symptoms that form the basis of the autism diagnosis. In 1995, the national health registries in Denmark, which are often used in Danish health research, began to also include diagnoses given in connection with outpatient consultations whereas before 1995 only diagnoses given in connection with hospitalization was reported to the registries. This could mean that we after 1995 see more of the mild autism diagnoses since they may not require hospitalization. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Yale / 03.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with Dr. Sunny Jhamnani MD Clinical Fellow in Cardiology at Yale School of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Jhamnani:  Lifestyle modifications are the crux of atherosclerotic disease management. However adherence to them is not adequate. Additionally, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) looking effects of diet and exercise on atherosclerotic disease progression have not been convincing. We did a systematic review and a meta-analysis of all RCTs looking at the effects of diet and exercise on coronary and carotid atherosclerotic disease progression. We found that , lifestyle modifications were associated with a decrease in coronary atherosclerotic burden in percent stenosis by -0.34 (95% CI: -0.48 to -0.21) standardized mean difference (SMD), with no significant publication bias and heterogeneity (p:0.21, I2:28.25). Similarly, in the carotids, there was a decrease in the carotid intimal medial thickness in mm by -0.21 (95% CI: -0.36 to -0.05) SMD and by -0.13 (95% CI: -0.25 to -0.02) SMD, before and after accounting for publication bias and heterogeneity (p:0.13, I2:39.91 and p:0.54, I2:0), respectively. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, McGill, Mental Health Research / 03.11.2014

Frank J. Elgar, PhD Associate Professor of Psychiatry Canada Research Chair in Social Inequalities in Child Health Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University Montreal, Quebec, CanadaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Frank J. Elgar, PhD Associate Professor of Psychiatry Canada Research Chair in Social Inequalities in Child Health Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Elgar: Our study addressed two questions. The first was whether cyberbullying has unique links to adolescent mental health, or is an extension of traditional (face-to-face) bullying. We measured various forms of bullying and found that cyberbullying does indeed have a unique impact on mental health. Our second question about protective factors in the home environment.  We examined the frequency of family dinners as potential a moderating factor - understanding, of course, that dinners are a proxy of various family characteristics that benefit adolescents, such as communication, support, and parental monitoring. We found that teens who were targeted by cyberbullying but had ate dinner with their families more often had significantly better mental health outcomes as a result. (more…)
Author Interviews, General Medicine, Leukemia, NEJM, Transplantation / 03.11.2014

John E. Wagner, M.D. Principal Investigator Professor Director, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation Department of Pediatrics McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair Hageboeck Family / Children's Cancer Research Fund Endowed Chair University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455MedicalResearch.com Interview with: John E. Wagner, M.D. Principal Investigator Professor Director, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation Department of Pediatrics McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair Hageboeck Family / Children's Cancer Research Fund Endowed Chair University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Wagner: Earlier studies of umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCB) in children with hematological malignancies demonstrated a survival rate of approximately 50%.  While single UCB transplant was very effective despite HLA mismatch, few adults had access to umbilical cord blood as a treatment option due to the cell dose requirement of 2. 5 x 10^6 nucleated cells per kilogram recipient body weight.  For this reason, at the University of Minnesota we explored the co-transplantation of two partially HLA matched umbilical cord blood units in adults as a straightforward strategy to achieving the cell dose requirement.  Early results were remarkable with survival rates higher than that observed in children.  This in turn led to the design of the BMT CTN 0501 study, a randomized trial comparing single versus double umbilical cord blood transplantation in children aged 2-21 years with hematological malignancies.  All patients received a uniform conditioning regimen of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation and GVHD prophylaxis of cyclosporine A and mycophenylate mofetil.  224 patients were randomized. There were four major findings:
  • 1) survival results overall, regardless of treatment arm, have improved,
  • 2) for children, an adequately dosed single umbilical cord blood unit is sufficient, giving a survival result of 72% at one year,
  • 3) double umbilical cord blood transplant is associated with more GVHD and poorer platelet recovery but survival is comparable to an adequately dosed single unit, and
  • 4) HLA mismatch is well tolerated with potentially better disease free survival in patients transplanted with HLA mismatched umbilical cord blood , a provocative finding that requires further investigation.
(more…)
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness / 03.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com: Comments from Virpi Kuvaja-Köllner and her team: Project manager, teacher, M.Sc. (Health Economics), PhD Student University of Eastern Finland Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies Department of Health and Social Management Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: As we all know insufficient physical activity (PA) is associated with an increased risk of various chronic diseases and increases in health care expenditure. However, there are some economic evaluation studies related to physical activity interventions that have proved some of those interventions can offer “good value for money”. Unfortunately, most of these studies have focused on interventions at the individual or patient group level. It is easy to notice that there is a lack of studies related to cost-effectiveness of physical activity interventions at the population level. Somehow this is controversial because the need to increase physical activity in the population is urgent and the public funding for health care and other services is tighter than ever. We should remember that if we can increase physical activity among large population groups, especially among those whoare physically inactive, it might also have an impact on our healthcare costs. (more…)
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness / 03.11.2014

Paul D. Loprinzi, PhD Center for Health Behavior Research Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management The University of Mississippi, University, MS.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Paul D. Loprinzi, PhD Center for Health Behavior Research Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management The University of Mississippi, University, MS. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Loprinzi: COPD not only induces inflammation in the lung, but systemic inflammation as well.  Therefore, individuals with COPD are at an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease as a result of increased systemic inflammation.  Physical activity has been shown to reduce systemic inflammation in the general population, but the association between physical activity and systemic inflammation among those with COPD is less established.  Our study demonstrated that individuals with COPD who were more active had less systemic inflammation than those who were less active. (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, BMJ, Ovarian Cancer / 03.11.2014

Ben Van Calster PhD Department of Development and Regeneration KU Leuven, Herestraat Leuven, BelgiumMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ben Van Calster PhD Department of Development and Regeneration KU Leuven, Herestraat Leuven, Belgium   MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Van Calster: Ovarian cancer is a very common type of cancer among women, with over 200,000 new cases per year worldwide. It is the most lethal of gynecological malignancies. Research has shown that the referral of patients with ovarian cancer to specialized gynecological oncologists in high volume centers improves survival. However, audits in Europe and the United States also show that only a minority of women with ovarian cancer are appropriately triaged to receive specialist care. In addition, different types of malignancies are not treated in the same way. Hence optimal personalized management of an ovarian tumor hinges on the detailed preoperative diagnosis of its nature. Unfortunately, current prediction models focused on the discrimination between benign and malignant tumors without further specification of the likely type of malignancy. Various prediction models and rules have been developed to help predict whether an ovarian mass is benign or malignant. A recent systematic review meta-analysis has shown that the IOTA model LR2 and simple rules perform better than any other previous test. However none of these tests give anything other than a dichotomous outcome – i.e. cancer or non-cancer. In practice the position is more nuanced. The ADNEX model estimates the likelihood that a tumor is benign, borderline malignant, stage I cancer, stage II-IV cancer, or secondary metastatic cancer. This model is the first that is able to differentiate between benign and these four subtypes of malignancy. To do so, ADNEX uses three clinical predictors (age, serum CA-125 level, and type of center), and six ultrasound characteristics of the tumor (maximum diameter of lesion, proportion of solid tissue, more than 10 cyst locules, number of papillary projections, acoustic shadows, and ascites). The model is based on data from almost 6,000 women recruited at 24 centers in 10 countries. (more…)