Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Diabetes, Disability Research / 20.08.2014

Karen Margolis, M.D., M.P.H. Senior Investigator (Director of Clinical Research) HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research Minneapolis, MN, 55440-1524MedicalResearch.com Interview with Karen Margolis, M.D., M.P.H. Senior Investigator (Director of Clinical Research) HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research Minneapolis, MN, 55440-1524 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Margolis: The study compared falls and fractures in patients aged 40-79 with diabetes who were treated for high blood pressure.  One group received treatment that aimed at getting systolic blood pressure under 120, while the other group received treatment to achieve systolic blood pressure under 140. The results show that patients who received intensive blood pressure treatment did not fall more than less intensively treated patients, nor did they incur more fractures over an average follow-up of about five years. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Compliance, Kidney Disease, Primary Care / 20.08.2014

Mallika L. Mendu, M.D. Division of Renal Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, MA 02115.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mallika L. Mendu, M.D. Division of Renal Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, MA 02115. Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Mendu: Our study found that implementation of a chronic kidney disease (CKD) checklist, a tool that succinctly and clearly outlines CKD management guidelines, in a primary care clinic improved adherence to a number of significant management guidelines. We conducted a prospective study during a one year period among 13 primary care providers, four of whom were assigned to use a CKD checklist incorporated into the electronic medical record during visits with patients with CKD. Patients whose providers utilized a CKD checklist had higher rates of adherence to annual albuminuria testing, parathyroid hormone testing, phosphate testing, achieving a hemoglobin A1c target<7, documentation of avoidance of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker and vaccination for annual influenza and 5-year pneumococcus. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Johns Hopkins, Outcomes & Safety / 20.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sosena Kebede, MD, MPH Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine Associate Faculty, the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty, Department of Health Policy and Management and Baltimore, MD 21287Sosena Kebede, MD, MPH Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine Associate Faculty, the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty, Department of Health Policy and Management and Baltimore, MD 21287 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Kebede: There were 3 main findings in this study: 1.       Patients’ understanding of aspects of their hospital care is suboptimal on the domains of knowledge of diagnoses, indications for the medications they take and the types of procedures/tests they get. Some forms of poor shared understanding could have potentially serious implications for their health and for future care such as identifying a prescribed antidepressant as a blood thinner or mistaking an echocardiogram a left heart catheterization or thinking a liver cyst is a liver cancer. Other forms of poor shared understanding such as not accurately identifying why a procedure is done or what the results of the procedure show (a finding not discussed in the research letter) may seem less consequential  but raise the issue of informed consent, patient empowerment and may alsoraise questions about patient and physician behavior towards appropriate use of in-patient procedures. Some of the questions we could ask here include: would patients demand more or less procedures if they had better understanding of what the procedures entail, and why they are beingordered? Conversely, would physicians recommend more or less of in-patient procedures, when they encounter patients whose understanding of procedure indications are optimal? (more…)
Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Geriatrics / 20.08.2014

Neha P. Gothe, PhD Division of Kinesiology Health and Sport Studies Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202.Medical Research Interview with: Neha P. Gothe, PhD Division of Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202. Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Gothe: The yoga group was speedier and more accurate on tests of information recall, mental flexibility and task-switching than it had been before the intervention. Participants in the yoga group showed significant improvements in working memory capacity, which involves continually updating and manipulating information. They were also able to perform the task at hand quickly and accurately, without getting distracted. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Karolinski Institute, Surgical Research / 20.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mats Möller MD Department of Surgery, Ersta Hospital Department of Clinical Sciences Karolinska Institutet Danderyds Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Möller: The natural course of common bile duct stones seem not as favorable as previous studies have suggested. Leaving stones with no measures taken has in our study a less favorable outcome compared to removing the stones. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JACC / 20.08.2014

Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FACC, FAHA Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science Director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center Co-Chief of Clinical Cardiology, UCLA Division of Cardiology Co-Director, UCLA Preventative Cardiology Program David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FACC, FAHA Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science Director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center Co-Chief of Clinical Cardiology, UCLA Division of Cardiology Co-Director, UCLA Preventative Cardiology Program David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1679 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Fonarow: Drawing on data from the Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting (IMPROVE HF), 15,177 heart failure patients were followed over two years to measure the benefits of implantable device therapy on survival in community practice settings. The study demonstrated that ICD device therapy reduced the likelihood of death during the two-year period by 36 percent, with no significant differences by race or ethnicity. The study also demonstrated a 45 percent reduction in mortality during the two-year period with CRT therapy, again without any significant differences device benefit by race or ethnicity. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Exercise - Fitness, Weight Research / 20.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Ellen Flint, BA MSc PhD, Research Fellow Department of Social & Environmental Health Research London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Tavistock Place, LondonMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Ellen Flint, BA MSc PhD, Research Fellow Department of Social & Environmental Health Research London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Tavistock Place, London Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Flint: Men and women who commuted to work by cycling, walking or public transport had significantly lower BMI and percentage body fat than their car-using counterparts. This was the case despite adjustment for a range of factors which may affect both body weight and commuting mode preference (e.g. limiting illness, age, socioeconomic position, sports participation and diet). The differences were of a clinically meaningful magnitude. For example, compared to car users, men who commuted via active or public transportation modes were on average 1 BMI point lighter. For the average man in the sample this would equate to a difference in weight of almost half a stone (3kg). (more…)
Author Interviews, CMAJ, Outcomes & Safety, Pediatrics / 20.08.2014

Dr Prakesh S Shah MSc, MBBS, MD, DCH, MRCP, FRCPC Professor, Departments of Paediatrics and HPME Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto CIHR Applied Research Chair in Reproductive and Child Health Services and Policy Research Director, Canadian Neonatal Network Toronto Ontario Canada M5G 1X5MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Prakesh S Shah MSc, MBBS, MD, DCH, MRCP, FRCPC Professor, Departments of Paediatrics and HPME Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto CIHR Applied Research Chair in Reproductive and Child Health Services and Policy Research Director, Canadian Neonatal Network Toronto Ontario Canada M5G 1X5 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Shah: The main findings of our study are that by embracing collaborative quality improvement program in 25 of 28 Neonatal ICUs in the country, we were able to show significant reduction in adverse outcomes of necrotizing enterocolitis, severe retinopathy of prematurity and nosocomial infections among preterm neonates born at less than 29 weeks of gestation. This resulted in significant overall reduction of composite outcome of mortality or severe morbidities and improved overall outcomes over 3 years of study period. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Pediatrics, Pulmonary Disease / 19.08.2014

Suzanne Schuh, MD, FRCP(C), FAAP, ABPEM Staff Paediatrician, Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine Senior Associate Scientist, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children Professor of Paediatrics, University of TorontoMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Suzanne Schuh, MD, FRCP(C), FAAP, ABPEM Staff Paediatrician, Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine Senior Associate Scientist, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto Medical Research: What are the main findings of this study? Dr. Schuh: Our study shows that in previously healthy infants presenting to the Emergency Department with mild to moderate bronchiolitis (a viral lower respiratory tract disease producing breathing distress) who had their oxygen saturation measurements artificially elevated by a physiologically small amount experienced significantly reduced rate of hospitalizations within 72 hours compared to infants with unaltered oximetry readings. (more…)
Anesthesiology, Author Interviews, Karolinski Institute / 19.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jan G. Jakobsson Institution for Clinical Science Karolinska Institutet, Danderyds Hospital Stockholm, Sweden Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Jakobsson:  We found that anaesthesiologists and nurse anaesthetists were concerned about the risk for neurocognitive side effects, but there routines and practice for preoperative identification of patients at risk, intraoperative management to minimise risk and assessment and management of patients showing signs and/or symptoms of neurocognitive side effects after anaesthesia was rarely at place. (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, JAMA, Macular Degeneration, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 19.08.2014

Rohit Varma, MD, MPH Grace and Emery Beardsley Professor and Chair USC Department of Ophthalmology Director, USC Eye Institute Associate Dean for Strategic Planning and Network Development Keck School of Medicine of USCMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rohit Varma, MD, MPH Grace and Emery Beardsley Professor and Chair USC Department of Ophthalmology Director, USC Eye Institute Associate Dean for Strategic Planning and Network Development Keck School of Medicine of USC Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Varma: Our research demonstrates African-Americans bear a heavier burden of diabetic macular edema (DME), one of the leading causes of blindness in diabetic patients in the United States, compared to Non-Hispanic whites. The study points to a need for improved screening and greater attention to vision loss by clinicians and patients particularly those who are at high risk of developing diabetic macular edema. (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Heart Disease, Lipids / 19.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Michael d’Emden Endocrine Research Unit Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Australia Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. d’Emden: Our study is the largest trial of women having type 2 diabetes assessing the role of a fibric acid derivative, in this case fenofibrate, ever conducted.  There were 3657 female subjects randomized to placebo or fenofibrate.  The study demonstrated greater reductions in women of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol and greater increases in HDL-cholesterol.  In women, fenofibrate decreased total cardiovascular end-points by 30% compared with only 13% in men, although there was no-treatment-by-sex interaction.  The majority of end points assessed revealed a consistent trend to increased benefit being seen in women. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research / 19.08.2014

Dr. Mangesh Thorat MBBS, MS(Surgery), DNB(Surgery), MNAMS Centre for Cancer Prevention Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London EC1M 6BQ Queen Mary University of Londonm Honorary Clinical Lecturer Division of Surgery and Interventional Science Whittington Hospital, LondonMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Mangesh Thorat MBBS, MS(Surgery), DNB(Surgery), MNAMS Centre for Cancer Prevention Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London Queen Mary University of Londonm Honorary Clinical Lecturer Division of Surgery and Interventional Science Whittington Hospital, London Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Thorat : Accumulating evidence supports an effect of aspirin in reducing cancer incidence and mortality. Our analyses show that for average-risk individuals aged 50-65y taking aspirin for 10 years, there would be a relative reduction of between 7% (women) and 9% (men) in the number of cancer, myocardial infarction or stroke events over a 15 year period and an overall 4% relative reduction in all deaths over a 20 year period. The benefits of aspirin use would be most visible in the reduction in deaths due to cancer. If the findings of our study are applied to the UK general population aged 50-64 taking aspirin for next 10 years, on an average more than 6000 lives will be saved every year. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Erasmus, JAMA / 19.08.2014

Frank van Hees, MSc Researcher, Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, The NetherlandsMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Frank van Hees MSc Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands   Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Many U.S. elderly are screened for colorectal cancer more frequently than recommended: One in every five elderly with a negative screening colonoscopy result undergoes another screening colonoscopy within 5 years’ time instead of after the recommended 10 years. Moreover, one in every four elderly with a negative screening colonoscopy result at age 75 or older receives yet another screening colonoscopy at an even more advanced age. Our study shows that, in average risk individuals, these practices are not only a waste of scarce health care resources: often they are also associated with a balance among benefits, burden, and harms that is unfavorable for those being screened. (more…)
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension / 18.08.2014

Dr. Rodrigo Modolo Department of Pharmacology Faculty of Medical Sciences University of Campinas–UNICAMP Campinas, SP, Brazil;MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Rodrigo Modolo Department of Pharmacology Faculty of Medical Sciences University of Campinas–UNICAMP Campinas, SP, Brazil; Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Modolo: The main findings of this study are the encounter of a high prevalence of silent myocardial ischemia (assessed by myocardial perfusion scintigraphy) in resistant hypertension and the identification of predictors of this alteration in this population. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease / 18.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sylvie S.L. Leung Yinko, RD MSc Epidemiology '14 Division of Clinical Epidemiology Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) Montreal (QC) H3A 1A1 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Our study indicates that young female patients with premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) than their male counterparts. Whereas “sex” refers to whether an individual is biologically male or female, “gender” is a more complex term that refers to social norms, roles, and expectations that are traditionally ascribed to males and females in a society. We found that gender, rather than sex, may larger explain the differences in health-related quality of life between men and women. Particularly, higher femininity score, lower social support and greater housework responsibilities appear to be important gender-related factors linked with poorer HRQL post-ACS. (more…)
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Colon Cancer, Erasmus / 18.08.2014

Frank van Hees, MSc Researcher, Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, The NetherlandsMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Frank van Hees, MSc Researcher, Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, The Netherlands Medical Research:   What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Many U.S. elderly are screened for colorectal cancer more frequently than recommended: One in every five elderly with a negative screening colonoscopy result undergoes another screening colonoscopy within 5 years’ time instead of after the recommended 10 years. Moreover, one in every four elderly with a negative screening colonoscopy result at age 75 or older receives yet another screening colonoscopy at an even more advanced age. Our study shows that, in average risk individuals, these practices are not only a waste of scarce health care resources: often they are also associated with a balance among benefits, burden, and harms that is unfavorable for those being screened. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research / 16.08.2014

Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D Harrison Scholar at VCU Massey Cancer Center, Blick Scholar and Associate Professor Department of Human and Molecular Genetics Member of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine Virginia Commonweath School of MedicineMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D Harrison Scholar at VCU Massey Cancer Center, Blick Scholar and Associate Professor Department of Human and Molecular Genetics Member of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine Virginia Commonweath School of Medicine Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Sarkar: Retinoic acid (Vitamin A) is an anti-cancer drug for a number of cancers including liver cancer. However, all patients do not respond to retinoic acid. Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) is overexpressed in a large percentage of cancer patients and promotes development and progression of cancer. In this study we document that AEG-1 inhibits retinoic acid function. Combinatorial strategy involving AEG-1 inhibition and retinoic acid synergistically blocks growth of human liver cancer cells in animal models. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Lancet, Weight Research / 16.08.2014

Dr Krishnan Bhaskaran MSc PhD. Senior Lecturer in Statistical Epidemiology & National Institute for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London WC1E 7HTMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Krishnan Bhaskaran MSc PhD. Senior Lecturer in Statistical Epidemiology & National Institute for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London WC1E 7HT Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Bhaskaran: Body mass index was associated with the majority of cancer types studied, and for 10 cancers, including some of the most common like colon cancer and postmenopausal breast cancer, higher body mass index was clearly associated with higher risk. The cancer type that was most strongly related to BMI was uterine cancer, the 4th most common cancer in women. For a woman of average height, each 2 stone (13kg) increase in weight increased risk by over 60%. Body mass index also had particularly large effects on risk of kidney and gallbladder cancers. In total, we estimated that over 12,000 cases of the 10 affected cancers may be caused each year by excess weight, and that if average body mass index in the population continues to increase, there may be several thousand more cases of these cancers each year as a result. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease / 16.08.2014

Ryan T. Borne MD University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Division of Cardiology Aurora, CO 80045MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ryan T. Borne MD University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Division of Cardiology Aurora, CO 80045 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Borne: Using the NCDR ICD Registry, we identified Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older with low left ventricular ejection fraction (≤ 35%) who underwent primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation, including those receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator, between 2006 and 2010 who could be matched to Medicare claims. We found that while there were modest changes in the patient characteristics undergoing ICD implantation, there were significant improvements over time in mid-term outcomes including 6-month mortality, re-hospitalization, and device-related complications. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA / 15.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Agnes Dechartres, MD, PhD Centre de Recherche Epidémiologie et Statistique Centre d’Épidémiologie Clinique, Hôpital Hôtel Dieu, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Dechartres: In this study, we aimed to compare treatment effect estimates obtained from the meta-analysis including all trials to several alternative strategies for analysis. These alternative strategies are:
  • 1) the single most precise trial;
  • 2) a meta-analysis including only the largest trials;
  • 3) a “limit meta-analysis” that is a type of meta-analysis model recently developed to take into account small-study-effect and
  • 4) a meta-analysis restricted to trials at low risk of biases.
Our results showed that estimation of treatment effect varies depending of the strategy used with a frequently larger treatment effect in the meta-analysis of all trials than in the single most precise trial, the meta-analysis restricted to the largest trials and the limit meta-analysis, especially in case of subjective outcomes. (more…)
Author Interviews, Sexual Health / 15.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Cicely Marston Senior Lecturer in Social Science Department of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London WC1H 9SH Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Marston: Young people talked to us about an oppressive environment where some men compete with each other to have anal sex with women, even if they expect women to find it painful. Women also reported they were repeatedly asked for anal sex by their male partners and on some accounts, women enjoy it websites like https://bitchtopia.com/true-sex-stories/ go into detail about how the women asked for anal sex but we have found this is largely the minority among those we spoke too. Their accounts also raise the real possibility of coercion for young women – who were sometimes put in situations where they are penetrated anally without their explicit consent. Young people often suggested that pain for women was inevitable, or that it was the woman’s fault, ideas that may make them less likely to change their practices to reduce pain. Some young people said they thought STIs were less of a problem for anal sex compared with vaginal sex. Some young men put their own desire to have anal sex ahead of the desires and needs of their partners. (more…)
Author Interviews, MRSA / 15.08.2014

dr_kyle_popovichMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kyle J. Popovich, MD, MS Rush University Medical Center Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois   Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Popovich: Colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at body sites outside the nares was common, with more than half of all colonized individuals having MRSA colonization in the rectal or groin areas.  Resistance to mupirocin was uncommon and molecular testing showed no signs of resistance to chlorhexidine gluconate. (more…)
Author Interviews, Colon Cancer, JAMA, Transplantation / 15.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Øyvind Holme, MD Department of Medicine, Sorlandet Hospital Kristiansand, Kristiansand, Norway Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Boston, Massachusetts Department of Transplantation Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Holme: In this population-based trial, we found that once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in asymptomatic 50-64 year old individuals reduces colorectal cancer mortality by 27% and colorectal cancer incidence by 20% after 11 years of follow-up. We found that the incidence reduction is as great in 50-54 year old individuals as in 55-64 old individuals. Addition of a once-only fecal occult blood test to flexible sigmoidoscopy did not lead to a larger reduction in colorectal cancer incidence or mortality compared to flexible sigmoidoscopy screening alone. (more…)
Author Interviews, Flu - Influenza, NEJM, Vaccine Studies / 15.08.2014

David P. Greenberg, M.D. Vice President, Scientific & Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer Sanofi Pasteur US.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: David P. Greenberg, M.D. Vice President, Scientific & Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer Sanofi Pasteur US.   Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Greenberg: The New England Journal of Medicine published positive results from a randomized, double-blind, large-scale, multi-center efficacy trial, which found that Fluzone® High-Dose (Influenza Vaccine) was more efficacious in preventing influenza illness (“the flu”) in adults 65 years of age and older compared to standard-dose Fluzone vaccine. Fluzone High-Dose vaccine was found to be 24.2 percent (95% CI, 9.7 to 36.5) more effective in preventing influenza relative to standard-dose Fluzone vaccine for the primary endpoint (laboratory-confirmed influenza associated with typical clinical symptoms occurring at least 14 days post-vaccination caused by any viral type or subtype). In other words, investigators determined that participants in the Fluzone High-Dose vaccine group were less likely to get the flu than those in the standard-dose Fluzone vaccine group. The study safety data were consistent with previous Fluzone High-Dose vaccine studies. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Mental Health Research / 13.08.2014

Dr Golam Khandaker Clinical Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry University of Cambridge MedicalResearch.com Interview with Dr Golam Khandaker Clinical Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry University of Cambridge Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Khandaker: The study shows low grade systemic inflammation may have a role in the pathogenesis of depression and psychotic disorders. Low grade systemic inflammation may also be a common cause for chronic physical and psychiatric illnesses. The study shows that higher serum levels of the circulating inflammatory marker, interleukin 6 (IL-6), in childhood is associated with nearly two-fold increased risk of developing depression and psychotic disorder in young adulthood. This association persisted after taking into account effects of age, sex, social class, ethnicity, body mass index, maternal depression, and past psychological and behavioural problem in the participant. We studied a sample of 4,500 individuals from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort, taking blood samples at age 9 and following up at age 18, to see if they had experienced episodes of depression or . We excluded children with an infection at the time of blood test at age 9 years. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, UT Southwestern / 13.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Hurst M. Hall, MD and Sandeep Das, MD, MPH Division of Cardiology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, TX Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Most patients treated for a heart attack in the United States during this study period were discharged home on 325 mg of aspirin a day.  This was true even among subgroups expected to be at high bleeding risk. In addition, there was tremendous variability in the proportional use of this higher dose aspirin across hospitals, suggesting a prominent local influence on prescribing patterns. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA / 13.08.2014

Dr. Juhani Airaksinen, MD, PhD Heart Center, Turku University Hospital Turku, FinlandMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Juhani Airaksinen, MD, PhD Heart Center, Turku University Hospital Turku, Finland Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Airaksinen:  The main result of our study is that the risk of thromboembolic complications in general was low (0.7%). However the risk rose to a 3.7-fold level when the delay to cardioversion exceeded 12 hours. The time-dependent increase in the risk of thromboembolic complications was more pronounced in female patients. In addition, as expected, old age, heart failure and diabetes were the other significant predictors of postcardioversion thromboembolic complications. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Surgical Research / 13.08.2014

Dr. Thomas M. Scalea, MD R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Program in Trauma University of Maryland School of Medicine, BaltimoreMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Thomas M. Scalea, MD R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Program in Trauma University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore Medical Research: What are the main findings of this study? Dr. Scalea:  The main findings of the study was that putting this financial incentive program in place had immediate and dramatic effects on first cases starting on time and turnaround times decreasing in our operating room. (more…)