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…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Radiology, Thyroid Disease / 03.11.2014

Dr. Jenny Hoang MBBS (Hons) Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiation Oncology Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Jenny Hoang MBBS (Hons) Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiation Oncology Duke University Medical Center   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Hoang: The incidental thyroid nodule (ITN) is a very common finding on imaging studies of the neck, chest and cervical spine. The workup of incidental thyroid nodules has led to increased costs from additional procedures and in some cases to increased risk to the patient. Physicians are concerned about the risk of malignancy and a delayed cancer diagnosis, but the majority of incidental thyroid nodules are benign and small incidental thyroid malignancies typically have indolent behavior. The American College of Radiology (ACR) formed the Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee to derive a practical approach to managing ITNs on CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound studies. This white paper describes consensus recommendations representing the Committee’s review of the literature and their practice experience. (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Nature, Pancreatic / 03.11.2014

Dr. Murray Korc MD, Professor Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Pancreatic Cancer Signature Center IU Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IndianaMedicalResearch.com Interview with Dr. Murray Korc MD, Professor Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Pancreatic Cancer Signature Center IU Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Korc: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly cancer with an overall 5-year survival rate of 6%. Currently, there are no highly specific and sensitive biomarkers in the blood that can be used for definitively diagnosing the presence of this cancer. In addition, in spite of the usefulness of CA19-9 in differentiating between patients with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis, this test may yield a significant number of false positive and false negative results, and it may be influenced by the presence of jaundice. These difficulties are compounded by the fact that patients with pancreatitis are at-risk for developing Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We decided to carry out a study of microRNAs using plasma from treatment-naïve PDAC patients, chronic pancreatitis patients, and controls without pancreatic disease. We focused on microRNAs because they are known to be present in the blood and to be very stable. We chose to conduct these assays in plasma because we reasoned that there would be fewer confounding factors by comparison with either whole blood or serum. We determined that five microRNAs were elevated in plasma from PDAC patients by comparison with either chronic pancreatitis or controls. Importantly, among these five microRNAs, high levels of miR-10b, miR-155, and miR-106b in the plasma were highly accurate in diagnosing Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with ~95% sensitivity and ~100% specificity. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology / 03.11.2014

psoriasisMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ellen Slevolden, MD  and Kristin Evensen,MD Department of Dermatology Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Response: The main finding of our study is that psoriasis may be associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. We found that carotid intima-media thickness was increased in patients with psoriasis compared to healthy controls. Psoriasis patients also had a higher prevalence of carotid plaques. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Insomnia / 02.11.2014

Lars Laugsand, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow Department of Public Health Norwegian University of Science in Technology Trondheim, Norway.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lars Laugsand, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow Department of Public Health Norwegian University of Science in Technology Trondheim, Norway. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Laugsand: Very few prospective studies have assessed the association of insomnia symptoms and risk for injuries. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Laugsand: We found that increasing number of insomnia symptoms was strongly associated with higher risk for both overall unintentional fatal injuries and fatal motor-vehicle injuries in a dose-dependent manner. Those who reported to suffer from all major insomnia symptoms were at considerably higher risk than those who had no symptoms or only a few symptoms. Among the different insomnia symptoms, difficulties falling asleep appeared to have the strongest and most robust association with fatal injuries. (more…)
Author Interviews, Colon Cancer / 02.11.2014

Enrique Quintero MD, PhD President, Asociación Española de Gastroenterología (AEG) Chief of Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias Professor of Medicine, Universidad de La Laguna La Laguna. Tenerife SpainMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Enrique Quintero MD, PhD President, Asociación Española de Gastroenterología (AEG) Chief of Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias Professor of Medicine, Universidad de La Laguna La Laguna. Tenerife Spain Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Quintero: First degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) are at increased risk of developing the disease compared with the general population. For that reason, clinical practice guidelines recommend colonoscopy every five years starting at the age of 40 years or ten years less than the youngest case in the family. However, this approach has some drawbacks:
  • first, several studies have shown that the benefit of colonoscopy is limited by a low uptake (less than 40%);
  • second, it represents an important colonoscopy burden, as about 70-80% of explorations are normal or without relevant lesions, which implies a high resource consumption; and
  • third, this recommendation is not based on evidence, as no randomized controlled trials have compared the efficacy of screening colonoscopy with that of other strategies.On the other hand, pilot studies have shown that one-time fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) have acceptable capacity to detect advanced neoplasia (defined as cancer or advanced adenoma) in family members of patients with CRC. For these reasons we conducted a prospective randomized trial to compare the efficacy of repeated fecal immunochemical tests versus one-time colonoscopy for detecting advanced colorectal neoplasia in asymptomatic FDRs of patients with colorectal cancer.
The main finding of our study was that cumulative fecal immunochemical tests screening (1 per year, during 3 years), yielded an equivalent detection rate to one-time colonoscopy for cancer, advanced adenoma and advanced neoplasia both by intention-to-screen and per-protocol analysis, after controlling for confounders such as age, gender, index-case age, and number of affected relatives. In fact, FIT detected all cancers and 61% of advanced adenomas. In addition, the study confirmed that the number of subjects requiring colonoscopy to detect one advanced neoplasm was 4 times less in individuals screened by FIT than in those screened by colonoscopy. Therefore, FIT may save a substantial number of unnecessary colonoscopies, preventing harms and lowering costs. (more…)
Author Interviews, General Medicine, Macular Degeneration, Stroke / 31.10.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Takashi Ueta, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine The University of Tokyo Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Ueta: In 2009 we had reported an initial systematic review and meta-analysis which include pivotal RCTs but the number of the included studies were only 3 (MARINA, ANCHOR, FOCUS). During the following several years, more trials comparing different dosages and frequencies of ranibizumab treatment were conducted, which made us to update our meta-analysis. Based on our updated meta-analysis, increase in several systemic vascular adverse events was observed: 86% increase in odds ratio (OR) for the risk of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) when 0,5 mg ranibizumab used. 89% increase in OR for the risk of CVA when monthly ranibizumab of any dosage is used. 57% increase in OR for the risk of non-ocular hemorrhage when ranibizumab of any dosage with any frequency is used. (more…)
Author Interviews, Pain Research, Surgical Research / 31.10.2014

Lars Peter Holst Andersen MD., Ph.d. Fellow / Læge, Ph.d. studerende Department of Surgery Herlev Hospital Gastroenheden, Herlev HospitaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lars Peter Holst Andersen MD., Ph.d. Fellow / Læge, Ph.d. studerende Department of Surgery Herlev Hospital Gastroenheden, Herlev Hospital Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Andersen: The sleep hormone, melatonin is diverse molecule. Several experimental animal studies have documented significant antinociceptive effects in a wide range of pain models. In perioperative medicine, administration of melatonin has demonstrated anxiolytic, analgesic and anti-oxidant effects. Optimization of the analgesic treatment in surgical patients is required due to documented inadequate analgesia and the risk of adverse effects and complications caused by commonly used NSAIDs and opioids. Our goal was to investigate if melatonin was able to reduce pain scores or analgesic use in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JACC, Lipids / 31.10.2014

Prof. Frank B Hu Department of Nutrition Department of Epidemiology Harvard School of Public HealthMedicalResearch.com Interview with Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Hu: There has been much confusion and sensational headlines about the role of different types of fat in coronary heart disease.  A recent meta-analysis suggested that higher saturated fat intake was not associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), but people don't consume saturated fat in isolation from other components of diet. Typically people swap for one type of fat for another. Therefore it is important to look at replacement nutrient when we talk about health effects of saturated fat. Randomized clinical trials have shown that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces total and LDL cholesterol. Thus it is important to examine whether such replacement confers long-term beneficial effects on heart disease prevention. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to summarize the evidence regarding the link between dietary intake of linoleic acid (the predominant type of polyunsaturated fat) and heart disease risk in generally healthy people. We identified 13 published and unpublished cohort studies with a total of 310,602 individuals and 12,479 total  coronary heart disease events including 5,882 CHD deaths. We found that dietary linoleic acid intake is inversely associated with  coronary heart disease risk in a dose-response manner—meaning, higher intake of linoleic acid resulted in a lower risk of CHD. Comparing the highest to the lowest level of consumption, dietary linoleic acid was associated with a 15% lower risk of  coronary heart disease events and a 21% lower risk of CHD deaths. These results were independent of common coronary heart disease risk factors such as smoking and other dietary factors such as fiber consumption. (more…)
Author Interviews, Toxin Research / 31.10.2014

Julia A. Taylor, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211MedicalResarch.com Interview with: Julia A. Taylor, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor Division of Biological Sciences University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Taylor: Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical present in a large number of consumer products, including polycarbonate plastics, food can linings, resins and thermal paper. A 2008 study of BPA levels in human urine concluded that over 90% of the U.S. population is exposed to BPA. BPA is an endocrine disrupter; its estrogenic properties were first described long before its commercial use, but today it is known that it not only acts like an estrogen but also interferes with thyroid hormone, androgen and insulin action. In population-based studies, higher urinary levels of BPA have been linked to a number of human health issues. For example, higher BPA concentrations have been associated with obesity and aggressive and hyperactive behaviors in children, and with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, altered liver and kidney function, and immune and reproductive disorders in adults. It was at one time thought that almost all human exposure occurs via food and drink, but calculations of exposure from these sources do not adequately account for the sometimes high amounts measured in urine, and the fact that BPA concentrations in population-based studies are not lower with increasing fasting time suggests that some other form of ongoing exposure. Our interest here was in thermal paper. BPA has been used as a color developer in thermal paper for many years and can be present in milligram amounts in the paper coating. Because thermal printing is widely used for items such as sales and ATM receipts, airline tickets and luggage labels, thermal paper may represent an important high-concentration source of exposure. We screened thermal paper receipts from 50 in-state vendors and found that 44% used BPA as the color developer, but 52% used another chemical called BPS (bisphenol S) which was present in similar quantities to BPA. Two receipts contained neither BPA nor BPS, and so presumably used an alternative (unidentified) chemical. In preliminary work we measured the transfer of BPA from thermal paper to the hands, and found much higher transfer to hands that were pre-wet using hand sanitizer. We also determined that BPA transferred to hands could then be transferred to food. In our study we asked men and women to first wet their hands with sanitizer before holding the receipts for a few minutes, and then with the same hands pick up french fries and hold them briefly before eating them. We then cleaned one hand but allowed the other to remain “contaminated”. We took blood samples over the next 90 minutes, either from the arm linked to the clean hand or the arm linked to the dirty hand, and collected a urine sample at the end. (more…)
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Ebola, Yale / 30.10.2014

Dr. Dan YasminMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dan Yamin PhD Postdoctoral Associate Yale School of Public Health New Haven, CT 06520   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Yamin: With limited resources, West Africa is currently overwhelmed by the most devastating Ebola epidemic known to date. In our research, we seek to address two questions:
  • 1) who is mostly responsible for transmission? and 2) what intervention programs should be applied to contain the current Ebola outbreak?
(more…)
Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Psychological Science / 30.10.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Lorenza S. Colzato, Assistant Professor and Dominque Lippelt, Research Master Student Cognitive Neuroscience ResearchProgram Leiden, The Netherlands Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our study aimed to investigate whether prior meditation experience could modulate the effect of two types of meditation on two aspects of creative thought. Creativity can be thought of as consisting of two main ingredients: Convergent thinking (finding one solution to a defined problem) and divergent thinking (finding many possible solutions to a problem). In a previous study we found that Open Monitoring meditation and Focused Attention meditaton (FAM) have distinguishable effects on creativity. OMM induces a control state that promotes divergent thinking while Focused Attention meditaton does not improve convergent thinking. Our results confirm and extend these findings. Open Monitoring meditation improved performance on a divergent thinking task, while Focused Attention meditaton did not, and these effects were present in both experienced and novice practitioners, suggesting that one does not have to have many years of meditation experience to benefit from its effects. However, while solving convergent thinking problems experienced practitioners tended to solve more problems through insight as opposed to using an analytical strategy, a way of problem solving that bears similarities to divergent thinking. (more…)
Author Interviews, CDC, Diabetes, OBGYNE / 30.10.2014

Dr. Cora Peterson PhD Health Economist at Centers for Disease ControlMedicalResearch.com: Interview with: Dr. Cora Peterson PhD Health Economist at Centers for Disease Control Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Peterson: Women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) have increased risk for adverse birth outcomes. Preconception care for women with  pregestational diabetes mellitus reduces the frequency of such outcomes, most likely by improving glycemic control before and during the critical first weeks of pregnancy. Preconception care for women with  pregestational diabetes mellitus includes the following activities:
  • medical or dietary blood sugar control, blood sugar monitoring, screening and treatment of complications due to diabetes,
  • counseling and education about the risks of diabetes in pregnancy, and
  • using effective birth control or contraceptives until appropriate levels of blood sugar are achieved.
In this study, CDC researchers estimated the number of preterm births, birth defects, and perinatal deaths (death between the time a baby is at least 20 weeks old in the mother’s womb to one week after the baby is born) that could be prevented and the money that could potentially be saved if preconception care was available to and used by all women with  pregestational diabetes mellitus before pregnancy. Researchers estimated about 2.2% of births (88,081 births each year) in the United States are to women with pregestational diabetes mellitus, including women who know they have diabetes before they become pregnant and those who are unaware they have diabetes. Preconception care before pregnancy among women with known pregestational diabetes mellitus could potentially generate benefits of up to $4.3 billion by preventing preterm births, birth defects, and perinatal deaths. Up to an additional $1.2 billion in benefits could be produced if women who do not know they have diabetes were diagnosed and received preconception care. (more…)