Author Interviews
11 Feb Most Women Remain Sexually Active into theirs 50s, 60s and Beyond.
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Holly Thomas, MD General Internal Medicine Fellow, Women's Health and Clinical Research University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15213 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Thomas: We found that, despite popular perception, the majority of women (85%) who are sexually active at midlife will remain sexually active four years later. We also found that the majority of women score low on a measure of sexual function. However, low sexual function scores did not mean women stopped having sex. In fact, the score on the sexual function measure did not predict whether women maintained sexual activity. Finally, we found that importance of sex was a strong predictor of whether women remained sexually active. Women who felt sex was moderately to extremely important in their lives were 3 times more likely to maintain sexual activity.11 Feb Severe Flu Associated with Younger Age, Lack of Vaccination
Posted at 04:58h
in Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Duke, Flu - Influenza, Vaccine Studies
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Cameron Wolfe MBBS(Hons), MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Clinical / Transplant Infectious Diseases
Duke University Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Wolfe: The major findings of the study were that at least in our center, there was a significant burden of critical illness due to H1N1 influenza infection. The average age of the patients admitted to the hospital was just 28yrs, consistent with the younger patient age in 2009 when H1N1 emerged. Most critically, we also observed a significantly lower rate of influenza vaccine uptake in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Units at our center.
11 Feb Suspected Appendicitis in Children: Point of Care Ultrasound Evaluation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jim Tsung, MD, MPH
Department of Emergency Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Guggenheim Pavilion
New York, NY 10029
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Tsung:
1. Point-of-care ultrasound performed by clinicians was as accurate as ultrasound performed in the radiology department for evaluating appendicitis in children.
2. This led to significant reductions in emergency department stays when point-of-care ultrasound was able to contribute to the decision to send the patient to the operating room or to discharge home without further imaging studies. On average, a 2 hour (46%) reduction in ED LOS for patients only requiring radiology ultrasound and a 6 hour (68%) reduction in ED LOS for patients that needed CT scan.
3. Point-of-care ultrasound can also reduce the rate of CT scans obtained when used as a front-line test, 44% to 27%.
10 Feb C. difficile: Novel Gene Detection Method
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Stephanie Angione
PhD Candidate
Brown University School of Engineering
Center for Biomedical Engineering
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: This study demonstrates the application of a novel nucleic acid detection platform to detect Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) in subjects presenting with acute diarrheal symptoms. This method amplifies three genes associated with C. difficile infection as well as genes associated with virulence attributed to the NAP1/027/BI strain. The novel PCR assay allows for simple and rapid detection of three C. difficile genes: tcdB, cdtB, and tcdC, which code for C. difficile toxin B, C. difficile binary toxin, and a protein suspected to regulate toxin production, which includes the NAP1/027/BI tcdC variant. Amplification of DNA from the tcdB, tcdC and cdtB genes can be carried out using a droplet sandwich platform that performs real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in microliter droplets for the detection and identification of amplified fragments of DNA. Our technique of multiplex gene amplification provides a unique method that is both sensitive and specific to rapidly detect C. difficile in patient stool samples that can be adapted to point-of-care testing.
10 Feb Raising Alcohol Price Might Reduce Some Health Inequalities
MedicalResearch.com with:
Dr John Holmes PhD, MA, BA (Hons) (York)
Section of Public Health, ScHARR,
University of Sheffield,
Sheffield S1 4DA, UK
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Holmes: The study aimed to examine which groups in society would be affected by a 45p minimum unit price for alcohol. This was in response to concerns expressed by, among others, the UK Government that the policy may not tackle harmful drinking and may penalise responsible drinkers.
We found no support for these concerns. As the policy targets the cheap alcohol which is disproportionately purchased by those drinking at harmful levels, the effects are mainly felt by those at greatest risk of suffering harm from their drinking. On the other hand, moderate drinkers, including those on low incomes, buy very little of this cheap alcohol so are relatively unaffected.
10 Feb NSAIDS and Risk of Miscarriage
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Sharon Daniel MD, MPH Physician, Intern in pediatrics at Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel PhD Candidate and Prof. Amalia Levy (MPH, PhD Epidemiologist, Head of the Department of Public Health Principle Investigator. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We tested the risk for miscarriage following the use of NSAIDs (ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, indomethacin, etodolac) on the first trimester of pregnancy. We did not find increased risk among women who took those drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy, although we did find increased risk after the use of indomethacin. We found higher risk after the use of specific NSAIDs (Celecoxib, Rofecoxib, Etoricoxib) which are usually used to treat inflammatory diseases, only the exposure group was very small.10 Feb Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Anti-Inflammatory Treatment
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
David Gozal, MD
The Herbert T. Abelson Professor and Chair
Department of Pediatrics
Physician-in-Chief, Comer Children's Hospital
The University of Chicago Chicago, IL 60637
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Gozal: Our study shows that in children with mild obstructive apnea, treatment with an anti-inflammatory combination of 2 medications, namely nasal corticosteroid and oral montelukast is associated with favorable outcomes in the vast majority of the children. Thus, rather than pursue treatment with adenotonsillectomy as is currently the case in most places, this study paves the way for non-surgical alternative therapies in pediatric OSA.
10 Feb Elevated Resting Heart Rate and Mortality in Adults
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Bríain ó Hartaigh, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Professor of Epidemiology
Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging
Weill Cornell Medical College
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: Sustained elevations in resting heart rate measured longitudinally over the course of 6 years were strongly and independently associated with a greater risk of death from all causes in adults aged 65 years or older.
10 Feb Falls Main Cause of Adult Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries
MedicalResearch.com Interview with study leaders: Shalini Selvarajah MD, MPH Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Surgical Trials and Outcomes Research Department of Surgery Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD 21287 and Edward R. Hammond, MD, PhD, MPH Research Associate International Center for Spinal Cord Injury Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD 21205. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Researchers: · Between 2007 and 2010, the number of serious traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) in the United States (U.S.) increased, doing so more rapidly among older adults (age ≥65 years) compared to younger adults (age <65 years). Injuries from falls have overtaken motor vehicle crashes as the main cause of adult TSCI. · Older adults are more likely to experience worse outcomes compared to younger adults even after taking into account severity and mechanism of injury, as well as other co-morbid conditions. Older adults are 4 times more likely to die in the emergency room, and if admitted to inpatient care, they are 6 times more likely to die as inpatients compared to younger adults. · Emergency room charges for treatment of acute TSCI among adults increased 20% from $3,342 per encounter in 2007 to $4,024 per encounter in 2010 even after accounting for the cost of inflation.09 Feb Obesity and Colon Polyp Risk
Posted at 14:27h
in Author Interviews, Colon Cancer, General Medicine, PLoS, University of Michigan, Weight Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jenifer I Fenton
Assistant Professor
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Fenton: This was a cross-sectional study, and thus, a snapshot in time. Although it cannot infer cause or temporality of obesity and colon polyp risk in men, it does show that obese men were more likely to have a polyp than their lean counterpart. In addition, there were serum biomarkers also associated with this risk. This could eventually lead to future blood tests to identify individuals at greater risk for polyps and inform screening recommendations.
09 Feb Lung Cancer: Allergic Disease History Might Decrease Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Mariam El-Zein, PhD.
Associée de recherche/ Research associate
Unité d'épidémiologie et biostatistique / Epidemiology & Biostatistics Unit
INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier
Université du Québec
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: The overall indication is that a prior history of allergic diseases (asthma, eczema or hay fever) might decrease lung cancer risk. There was a 36% (odds ratio= 0.64, 95% confidence intervals: 0.44-0.93) reduction in lung cancer risk among subjects who reported a history of asthma. Hay fever was associated with a 67% (odds ratio= 0.33, 95% confidence intervals: 0.19-0.59) reduction in lung cancer risk. Smoking was accounted for using a comprehensive smoking index that takes into account multiple dimensions of smoking behaviour (i.e., smoking status, intensity, duration, and time since cessation). A lower risk of lung cancer (reduction by 37%; odds ratio= 0.63, 95% confidence intervals: 0.38-1.07) was found among those having had eczema, but was not statistically significant.
07 Feb Diabetes: Association with Depression and Eating Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Peter de Jonge
Interdisciplinary Center for Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Netherlands
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. de Jonge: The main findings were that depression and impulse control disorders, in particular binge eating and bulimia were associated with diabetes.
06 Feb Menopause and Poor Sleep Quality
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chih-Jen Chang, MD Department of Family Medicine National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Chang: Postmenopausal women without vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes and night sweats) have poorer sleep quality than premenopausal women. In addition, menopause and snoring are associated with an increased risk of poor sleep quality independently of cardiometabolic factors and lifestyle.06 Feb Ophthalmology: Using Claims Data to Assess Eye Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Flora Lum, MD
Executive Director, The H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., M.D. Center for Quality Eye Care,
American Academy of Ophthalmology
San Francisco, CA 94109-1336
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Lum: This study anticipates the increased use of claims data for research.
The study recommends a checklist for authors to use in reporting claims data analyses, and discusses the advantages and limitations of using claims data.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Lum: There is variability in the methods and descriptions of claims data analyses, and as these increase in number and importance, its encouraged that researchers use rigorous methods.
05 Feb Using Electronic Medical Records to Follow Methotrexate Side Effects
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gabriela Schmajuk M.D. M.S.
Department of Medicine (Rheumatology)
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco VA Medical Center
San Francisco, CA 94121
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Schmajuk: Our main findings were that moderate LFT abnormalities were uncommon
in the first 7 months of methotrexate use among new users, and more
likely to occur in patients with obesity, untreated high cholesterol,
pre-methotrexate LFT elevations, biologic agent use, and lack of folic
acid supplementation.
05 Feb Most Drugs Have Ingredients That Come From Animals
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kinesh Patel, Research Fellow Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Patel: Most drugs prescribed in primary care have ingredients that come from animals, but the animals they come from is not always clear and whether the drugs are suitable for vegetarians is difficult to find out conclusively, even after looking at information available on packets, information leaflets and on the internet.05 Feb Pregnancy Exposure to Colds, Dust Mites and Offspring Atopic Dermatitis, Hayfever
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Sabina Illi, Dipl.-Stat., MPH
University Children's Hospital
Lindwurmstr. 4
80337 Munich Germany
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: We observed that the offspring of atopic pregnant women that showed symptoms of atopy during pregnancy, i.e. atopic dermatitis or hay fever, had a higher risk of having the respective atopic disorder themselves. However, we do not know whether this is due to timing, i.e. pregnancy, or whether it merely mirrors the severity of maternal disease.
Furthermore, in our study pregnant mothers with repeated colds during pregnancy were at increased risk of having a child that wheezed at pre-school age, this was statistically independent of the intake of medication.
03 Feb Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Sugar Intake
MedicalReseach.com Interview with: Quanhe Yang, PhD Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341 MedicalReseach.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Yang: The majority of US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. On average, Americans consume about 15% of daily calories from added sugar. About 70% of adults consume more than 10%of calories from added sugar and another 10% consume more than 25% of calories from added sugar. When you compare those who consume 7.5% (lowest quintile) of calories from added sugar with participants who consume between 17%-21% (quintile 4) of calories from added sugar, the latter group has a 38% higher risk of CVD mortality. But the risk of CVD death more than doubles for those who consume ≥21% (highest quintile) of calories from added sugar.02 Feb Knee Osteoarthritis: Exercise Impact on Pain and Disability
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carsten Juhl, PhD, MPH Research Physiotherapist Forskningsenheden for Muskuloskeletal Funktion og Fysioterapi (FoF) Institut for idræt og biomekanik Syddansk Universitet MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Juhi: The main findings of this study including 48 RCTs with more than 4000 patients were that- [1] exercise therapy programs focusing on a single type of exercise were more efficacious in reducing pain and patient-reported disability than those mixing several types of exercise with different goals within the same session;
- [2] the number of supervised sessions enhances the benefits of the aerobic exercise;
- [3] exercise focusing on the knee extensor muscle strength only, may increase the benefits of resistance training and
- [4] exercise seems to be effective therapy for knee osteoarthritis, regardless of age, sex, BMI, radiographic status or baseline pain.
02 Feb Alzheimer’s Disease: Solanezumab Trials for Mild to Moderate Disease
Posted at 14:38h
in Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, NEJM
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Rachelle S. Doody, M.D.,Ph.D.
Effie Marie Cain Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research
Director, Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center
Baylor College of Medicine-Department of Neurology
Houston, Texas 77030: MedicalResearch.com
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Doody: The study set out to see whether the antibody infusion treatment, Solanezumab, would improve the course of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in the ways necessary to gain drug approval. Unfortunately, the results did not support an approvable treatment for this purpose.
01 Feb Autism: Autistic Brains Create More Information at Rest
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Roberto Fernández Galán, PhD
Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH, USA
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Galán: The main finding is that autistic brains create more information at rest than non-autistic brains. This is consistent with the classical view on autism as withdrawal into self. It is also consistent with a recent theory on autism, the “Intense World Theory”, which claims that autism results from hyper-functioning neural circuitry, leading to a state of excessive arousal. From both perspectives, the classical and the IWT, communication and social deficits associated with autism result from having a more intense inner life and a higher level of introspection.
01 Feb Cancer: Pain Measurement in Ambulatory Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Fengmin Zhao, MS,PhD Biostatistician Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA 02215 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Zhao: We analyzed 2,761 patients in this study. We found that at initial assessment, 53.0% of patients had no pain, 23.5% had mild pain, 10.3% had moderate pain, and 13.2% had severe pain. Overall, one third of patients with initial pain had pain reduction within 1 month of follow-up, and one fifth had an increase. Inadequate pain management was significantly associated with pain deterioration in these patients, as were lower baseline pain level, younger age, and poor health status. Of the patients without pain at initial assessment, 28.4% reported pain at the follow-up assessment (8.9% of them were moderate to severe pain), and more than half of them received inadequate pain management.01 Feb Hospital Leadership Important for Quality Improvement
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Joseph D. Restuccia, DrPH, MPH
Professor and Deans Research Fellow
Operations and Technology Management Department
Health Sector Management Program
Boston University School of Management
Boston, MA 02215
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Restuccia: The study resulted in three major findings regarding quality improvement activities in VA.
- The first is that of the three general categories, to date VA hospitals have devoted the most substantial effort to quality improvement activities (QIAs) related to prevention.
- The second is that a strong alignment of goals between senior medical center leadership and inpatient medicine service leadership is the greatest predictor of an institution’s use of QIAs.
- The third is that the medical centers that employ hospitalists, physicians who specialize in the practice of hospital medicine, show the strongest QIA adoption across all three categories.
31 Jan Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: Treatment Follow Up Course
Posted at 23:59h
in Author Interviews, Johns Hopkins, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics, Psychological Science
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Golda Ginsburg, Ph.D
Professor Director, Research,
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr Ginsburg: This study examined the long-term outcomes of youth treated for an anxiety disorders. Findings revealed that almost half of anxious youth treated for an anxiety disorder were in remission (i.e., did not meet diagnostic criteria for any of the three study entry anxiety disorders) at an average of six years since starting treatment. Youth showing clinically meaningful improvement after 12 weeks of treatment, were more likely to be in remission, had lower anxiety severity, and had better functioning compared to youth who showed minimal or no initial clinical improvement.
Treatment type did not affect long-term outcomes.
31 Jan Atrial Fibrillation: Dabigatran and Risk of Myocardial Infarction
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Professor Gregory Y.H. Lip MD, FRCP
Consultant Cardiologist & Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director - Haemostasis Thrombosis & Vascular Biology Unit
Birmingham, United Kingdom
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
[GYHL] In this large-scale nationwide cohort study, we found that switching to dabigatran increased the risk of MI compared to continued warfarin usage in the early period after switching. Caution may be warranted especially when switching prior VKA-experienced patients with atrial fibrillation to dabigatran. This risk was not evident in the warfarin-naïve cohort newly started on dabigatran.
31 Jan Tonsillectomy: Substantial Variability in Pediatric Hospital Care
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Sanjay Mahant, MD, FRCPC
Division of Pediatric Medicine, Pediatric Outcomes Research Team (PORT), Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Health Policy, Evaluation and Management, University of Toronto, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Mahant: In a large cohort of children undergoing same-day tonsillectomy at 36 children's hospitals in the U.S., we observed substantial variability in several areas. These include: processes of care, the use of steroids and antibiotics - for which there are national guidelines that outline the recommended use of these medications - and outcomes of usage, as well as revisits to hospital after surgery for complications within 30 days following surgery.
31 Jan Football Helmet Types: Large Differences in Concussion Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Steven Rowson, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University
[caption id="attachment_3531" align="alignleft" width="125"]
A significant difference in concussion risk was found between these two helmet designs Riddell Revolution (left) and the Riddell VSR4 (right).Virginia Tech[/caption] MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Rowson: We found that there were large differences in concussion risk between football helmet types. This is the first study to address this question while controlling for the number of times each helmet type was impacted. This allowed us to compare apples to apples. For example, we're not comparing starters who frequently get hit in one helmet type to second string players who don't get hit as much.
30 Jan Risk of Suicide, Homicide Increases with Household Firearm Access
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Andrew Anglemyer, PhD, MPH;
Clinical Pharmacy and Global Health Sciences
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Anglemyer: Over all, you are more than 3 times more likely to commit suicide if you have access to a firearm than if you do not. And, among men only, they are nearly 4 times more likely to commit suicide if they have access to a firearm than if they do not.
Additionally, over all, you are 2 times more likely to be a victim of homicide if you have access to a firearm than if you do not.
We also found that females have a higher likelihood of being a victim of homicide, than males when considering firearm access. And we know from empirical data that the majority of female victims knew their assailant—which, to us, suggests that they were victims of domestic violence.
29 Jan Autistic Spectrum Reclassification Should Not Affect Patient Services Eligibility
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Bennett L. Leventhal, MD
Nathan S. Kline Institue for Psychiatric Research
140 Old Orangeburg Road, Building 35
Orangeburg, NY 10962
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Leventhal: In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM5) released in May 2013, changes include major alterations in criteria for developmental disorders, in particular, the DSMIV diagnostic criteria for Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), including elimination of subtypes found in DSMIV such as Asperger Disorder and PDD NOS. Additionally, DSM 5 adds a new diagnostic category, Social Communication Disorder (SCD): individuals with SCD have difficulties similar to ASD but these problems are solely restricted to the realm of social communication and do not include the restrictive and repetitive behaviors found in ASD.