Author Interviews
21 Jan Most Advanced Age Adults are Women, Many Living in Community
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Paula A. Rochon MD, MPH, FRCPC
Vice President, Research, Women's College Hospital
Senior Scientist, Women's College Research Institute
Professor, Department of Medicine
University of Toronto, Ontario Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Rochon: Our main findings are that there are now more than 1800 centenarians in Ontario. Among those over 100 years of age, 60 per cent are 101 years of age or older. In addition, most centenarians are women (85 per cent), and this percentage increases to 90 per cent among those who are 105 years of age and older.
21 Jan Cannabis Withdrawal: Nabiximols as an Agonist Replacement Therapy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
David J. Allsop, PhD
National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine
Now with the School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Allsop: We found that administering a botanical preparation of the cannabinoids Tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC - the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) and Cannabidiol (a lesser known component of the cannabis plant that
counteracts the psychotogenic effects of THC with anxiolytic properties) to
dependent cannabis smokers during initial abstinence from cannabis
substantially dampened their withdrawal experience. In essence this is akin
to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) but for cannabis users. It might seem
obvious - sure you give cannabis users a cannabis preparation and they find
it easier to quit - but this is important because it has never been done
before - and we currently have no consensus evidence based medicines to
offer cannabis users who ask for help.
20 Jan Macular Degeneration: Incidence, Susceptibility and Dietary Antioxidants
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jie Jin Wang MMed (Clin Epi) MAppStat PhD
Professor Australian NHMRC Senior Research Fellow (Level B)
Centre for Vision Research
Westmead Millennium Institute University of Sydney C24
Westmead Hospital, NSW 2145 Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: We documented a consistent association between high dietary intake of lutein/zeaxanthin (LZ) and a reduced long-term risk of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in persons who carry ≥2 risk alleles of either or both the complement factor H (CFH-rs1061170) and/or the age-related maculopathy susceptibility gene 2 (ARMS2-rs10490924) in two older population-based cohorts.
20 Jan Sepsis: Hospital Case Volume and Outcomes
Posted at 11:39h
in Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Infections, Outcomes & Safety
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Allan J. Walkey, M.D., M.Sc
Boston University School of Medicine
Pulmonary Center
Boston, Massachusetts
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Walkey: Thank you for the interest in our study. Current evidence-based treatments for severe sepsis (ie, infection+systemic inflammatory response+ end organ dysfunction) include specific processes of care rather specific therapeutics. These processes include early administration of antibiotics, early fluid resuscitation, and lung protective ventilation strategies. We hypothesized that hospitals with more ‘practice’ at treating patients with severe sepsis may have more effective care processes leading to improved patient outcomes. We examined more than 15,000 severe sepsis admissions from 124 US academic medical centers. Our findings supported our hypothesis. After adjustment for patient severity of illness and hospital characteristics, mortality in the highest quartile severe sepsis case volume hospitals was 22% and mortality in lowest severe sepsis case volume hospitals was 29%. The 7% absolute mortality difference would result in an estimated number needed to treat in high severe sepsis volume hospitals to prevent one death in low case volume hospitals of 14 (though we advise caution in interpretation of a number needed to treat in an observational study). Costs and length of stay were not different across levels of severe sepsis case volume. Results were robust to multiple subgroup and sensitivity analyses.
17 Jan High Volume Hospitals and Discharge to Home after Colon Surgery
Posted at 19:17h
in Author Interviews, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, JAMA, Outcomes & Safety, Surgical Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Daniel A. Anaya, MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery - Surgical Oncology
Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
Chief, General Surgery & Surgical Oncology SectionDirector, Liver Tumor Program
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Houston, TX 77030
and
Dr. Courtney J. Balentine, MD
First author and surgical resident at Baylor College of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Anaya: That a good proportion of patients having colorectal operations will need additional assistance to recover during the postoperative period, resulting in being discharged to other facilities (nursing facilities, skilled care, etc) after surgery, and that hospitals where a higher-volume of colorectal operations are performed are more likely to discharge patients back to home after surgery.
17 Jan Metastatic Breast Cancer: Surgical Removal of Primary Tumor and Axillary Nodes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. R.A. Badwe, MS Director, Tata Memorial Centre E. Borges Marg, Parel Mumbai 400 012 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The trial was a randomized control study involving 350 women with per primum metastatic breast cancer. These women were divided into two groups from February 2005 to May 2013. One group underwent surgery and radiotherapy (LRT) (n=173) while another group of 177 women were spared these (no LRT). Both groups had undergone six successful rounds of chemotherapy before their recruitment into the trial. Women who underwent surgery had the primary breast tumour and lymph nodes removed, followed by locoregional radiation therapy. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS). At a median follow-up of 17 months, no difference was observed in OS between the groups; the OS rates were 19.2% and 20.5%, respectively, (HR = 1.04; 95%CI, 0.80-1.34; P = 0.79). The lack of a survival benefit is due to a trade-off between local control and distant disease progression. The results indicated that women who underwent surgery and had improved locoregional control and significantly worse distant progression-free survival compared with women who did not undergo surgery (HR = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.08-1.85; P = .01). Progression of distant disease was 42% more likely (P = .01) in the LRT arm whereas the risk of local progression was 84% lower with LRT.17 Jan Sedentary Behavior Associated with Higher Risk of Death
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Rebecca Seguin, PhD, CSCS
Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences
Ithaca NY 14853
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: The main findings of the study are that regardless of demographic factors and physical activity levels, women who spent the most time engaged in sedentary behaviors had higher risk of death and women who spent the least amount of time engaged in sedentary behaviors.
17 Jan Workplace Strategies to Reduce Sitting Time
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Maike Neuhaus, MPsych Australian Postgraduate Award PhD Candidate Cancer Prevention Research Centre School of Population Health The University of Queensland Herston, QLD 4006 Australia MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Substantial epidemiological evidence shows that high volumes of sedentary behaviour – simply put too much sitting- are linked to detrimental health outcomes such as overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and all-cause mortality. Desk-based office workers typically spend around 75% of their work hours sitting at their desks or in meetings. Furthermore, they are unlikely to compensate for these high volumes of sitting time at work with less sedentary activities outside of work. Office workers are thus a high-risk group and an important target for intervention. The Stand Up UQ study examined best-practice approaches to reduce excessive sitting in office workers. Three separate groups of administrative office workers from The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, participated in this study: One group received height-adjustable workstations only; another group received the same height-adjustable workstations plus additional individual (e.g. face-to-face coaching) and organisational strategies (e.g. management consultation, staff information session) to reduce workplace sitting; the third group served as control group and maintained their usual work-practice. Results showed that relative to the control group, the group receiving height-adjustable workstations and additional strategies had a three-fold greater reduction in sitting time than the group receiving height-adjustable workstations only. These findings have important practical and financial implications for workplaces targeting sitting time reductions.17 Jan Low Daily Alcohol Consumption Associated with Longer Survival
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Andrea Bellavia MSc
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet
Stockholm, Sweden
Dr. Montgomery: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: We evaluated for 15 years a cohort of Swedish men and women and observed, after taking into account various socio-demographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors, that a low daily consumption of alcoholic beverages is tied with longer survival.
17 Jan Adverse Drug Events and Preventability
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Katja M Hakkarainen, M.Sc.Pharm.
Doctoral researcher Nordic School of Public Health NHV
Guest teacher, Doctoral studentSection for Social Medicine
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
Gothenburg, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: In total 12% of the adult general public was found to experience harm from medicines, i.e. adverse drug events (ADEs), when we scrutinised the medical and dispensing records of 4970 adults in Sweden during three months, including 29 inpatient care departments in three hospitals, 110 specialised outpatient clinics, and 51 primary care units. Most ADEs were adverse drug reactions (also called side effects) and sub-therapeutic effects. Commonly used drugs caused most ADEs, with a high frequency of adverse drug reactions from antidepressants and cardiovascular drugs as well as sub-therapeutic effects of analgesics and cardiovascular drugs. Of all ADEs, 39% were potentially preventable, because the drug therapy or use was judged suboptimal.
17 Jan Safety Net Hospitals: Death Rates After Major Complications
Posted at 02:32h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Health Care Systems, JAMA, Medical Research Centers, Outcomes & Safety
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Elliot Wakeam MD
Center for Surgery and Public Health
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston MA 02115
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Wakeam: Our study examined failure to rescue (FTR), or death after postoperative complications, in safety net hospitals. Prior work has shown that hospital clinical resources can improve rescue rates, however, despite having higher levels of technology and other clinical resources that should lead to better rates of patient rescue, safety net hospitals still had greater rates of death after major complications.
17 Jan OTC Pediatric Liquid Medications: Recommendations for Dosing Directions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Daniel S. Budnitz MD MPH CAPT, USPHS
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Medication Safety Program
Atlanta, Georgia
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Budnitz: To reduce dosing errors when administering orally ingested over-the-counter (OTC) liquid medications, especially among children, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) released recommendations for how to display dosing directions and markings on dosing devices.
This study assessed recommendation adherence for national brand name orally ingested OTC liquid pediatric analgesics/antipyretics and cough, cold, and allergy products available after the FDA guidance was finalized in 2011. To identify and prioritize specific areas for improvement, recommendations were categorized as ‘top tier’ (potential to address ≥3-fold errors) or ‘low tier’ (intended to improve clarity and consistency).
Of 68 products, 91% of dosing directions and 62% of dosing devices adhered to all top tier recommendations; 57% of products adhered to every top tier recommendation, and 93% adhered to all or all but one. A dosing device was included with all products (e.g., oral syringe, dosing cup). No dosing directions used atypical volumetric units (e.g., drams), and no devices used volumetric units that did not appear in dosing directions. Six products used trailing zeros or failed to use leading zeros with decimal doses; eight did not use small font for fractions. Appropriate use of zeros and decimals is important to avoid 10-fold overdoses; using small font for fractions (½ vs. 1/2) helps avoid potential 4-fold errors if 1/2 interpreted as 1 or 2. Product adherence to low tier recommendations ranged from 26% to 91%.
16 Jan SSRIs During Late Pregnacy and Infant Pulmonary Hypertension
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sophie Grigoriadis, MD, MA, PhD, FRCPC
Head, Women's Mood and Anxiety Clinic: Reproductive Transitions,
Fellowship Director, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre,
Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute
Adjunct Scientist, Women's College Research Institute,
Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Grigoriadis: Infants of women exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during late pregnancy (but not early) are at risk for developing persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). PPHN is a condition in which blood pressure remains high in the lungs following birth and which results in breathing difficulties. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, but the condition can be managed successfully typically after SSRI exposure. It is important to note that the baseline risk for PPHN in the general population is low (about 2 per 1,000 live births), and so the increase in risk with SSRIs still represents a low overall risk for developing PPHN following SSRI exposure in late pregnancy (increasing to approximately 5 per 1,000 live births). This increased risk means that 286 to 351 women would have to be treated with an SSRI during late pregnancy in order to result in 1 additional case of PPHN.
16 Jan Adverse Events Reporting: Room for Improvement
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sunita Vohra MD MSc FRCPC FCAHS
Director, CARE Program
Director, PedCAM Network, AIHS Health Scholar
Professor, Dept of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
University of Alberta
Edmonton Continuing Care Centre, Edmonton, Alberta Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Vohra: Our main findings were: (i) relative to how often systematic reviews
evaluate the effectiveness of health interventions, the systematic review
of harms is quite neglected; and (ii) even when systematic reviews do aim
to evaluate harms, there is considerable room for improvement in reporting.
16 Jan Alcohol Still Sold to Obviously Drunk Patrons
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Professor Karen Hughes
Professor in Behavioural Epidemiology
Centre for Public Health
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool L3 2ET
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: We used trained actors to test whether servers in pubs, bars and nightclubs would sell alcohol to people showing signs of extreme intoxication, despite this being illegal in the UK. In over four fifths (83.6%) of purchase attempts, bar servers sold alcohol to the pseudo-drunk actors – even though many clearly identified the actors as being drunk. We also collected data on bar environments, looking specifically at ten factors that have been associated with alcohol-related harm in previous studies: low levels of seating, loud noise, crowding, poor lighting, dirtiness, cheap drink promotions, young bar staff, young customers, rowdiness, and customer drunkenness. We found that the more of these characteristics bars had, the more likely they were to sell alcohol to drunks, with 100% of bars with 8 or more of these characteristics serving the pseudo-drunk actors. However, even in bars with none of these characteristics, two thirds of purchase attempts resulted in an alcohol sale. Having security staff managing entrance to the premises was also associated with alcohol service; possibly suggesting that bar servers in premises with door staff believe responsibility for vetting customers lies with such staff.
15 Jan Allergic March of Asthma Eczema and Rhinitis
MedicalResearch.com Interveiw with:
Mariona Pinart, PhD
CREAL-Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology
ISGlobal alliance
Doctor Aiguader, 88 | 08003 Barcelona
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: The study examined 23.434 children at 4 and 8 years from 12 ongoing European population-based birth cohort studies that recorded information on current eczema, rhinitis, and asthma from questionnaires and serum-specific IgE to six allergens. We wanted to assess how often eczema, rhinitis and asthma coexist in the same children (comorbidity) and whether the occurrence of comorbidities was due to causality or casualty and finally we wanted to examine whether the occurrence of comorbidity was modified by IgE sensitization.
We found that comorbidity affects about 4% of children aged 4–8 years and that about 50% of this comorbidity is due to causality, suggesting that these diseases share common pathophysiological mechanisms. In addition, we found that children comorbidity at age 4 are 30 to 60 times more likely to have comorbidity at age 8 years, suggesting that the presence of comorbidity at age 4 years is a strong determinant of comorbidity at age 8 years. Even children with one single disease are also at high risk of developing comorbidity by age 8 years. Interestingly, we found that not only comorbidity is present in children both sensitized and not sensitized to IgE but also that only 38% of incident comorbidity at age 8 years is explained by the presence of IgE sensitization at age 4 years.
15 Jan Type 1 Diabetes: Retinopathy and Cerebral Microbleeds
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Eelco van Duinkerken Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdama MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In our study we assessed the relationship between cerebral small vessel disease and peripheral microvascular function in type 1 diabetes patients. By MRI cerebral small vessel disease was assessed as white matter hyperintensities and lacunar infarcts (markers of ischemia) and cerebral microbleeds (expression of vascular leakage). We hypothesized that subgroups, i.e. those with (proliferative) retinopathy, are more at risk to develop cerebral small vessels disease. To this end, we selected type 1 diabetes patients with proliferative retinopathy, type 1 diabetes patients without microvascular complications and healthy controls. The main finding of our study was that only cerebral microbleeds, but not ischemic markers of cerebral small vessel disease were more prevalent in type 1 diabetes patients with proliferative retinopathy relative to the other groups. Cerebral microbleeds were also related to microvascular function in skin. This suggest that cerebral microbleeds are part of generalized microangiopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes.15 Jan Dietary Fiber Intake and Cardiovascular Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Prof. Victoria J Burley
Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Epidemiology
School of Food Science and Nutrition
University of Leeds
Biostatistics, University of Leeds, UK
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Prof. Burley: Although it’s been suggested for a long time that foods rich in dietary fiber may protect individuals from having a heart attack or stroke because they lower some of the risk factors for these diseases, trying to determine how much dietary fibre might be beneficial and whether these benefits are apparent in all populations around the world has been less easy to research. Our research at the University of Leeds has pooled the results of published large-scale follow-up studies and has demonstrated a consistent lowering of risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease with increasing dietary fiber intake. This dose-response trend suggests that even small additional increments in intake may be beneficial in the long term.
15 Jan Rotavirus Vaccination and Intussusception Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
W. Katherine Yih Ph.D., M.P.H
Department of Population Medicine
Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Yih: The main findings are that vaccination with the first dose of RotaTeq is associated with a small increase in the risk of intussusception, which is concentrated in the first week after vaccination. The estimated risk is about 1.5 excess cases per 100,000 first doses administered. This risk is fairly small, amounting to roughly 1/10 of the risk seen after the original rotavirus vaccine (called Rotashield) that was used in 1998-1999, before it was withdrawn from the market.
We also found evidence that Rotarix increases the risk of intussusception. However, the number of infants receiving Rotarix and the number getting intussusception after Rotarix were too small to allow us to estimate the risk after Rotarix with any precision.
15 Jan Risk of Diabetes and Fish Intake
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jyrki Virtanen, PhD
Adjunct Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology
University of Eastern Finland
Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition
Kuopio, Finland
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Virtanen: The main finding was that serum long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentration, an objective biomarker of fish and long-chain omega-3 PUFA intake, was associated with a lower risk of incident type 2 diabetes during the average follow-up of 19.3 years in middle-aged and older men from Eastern Finland. The risk was 33% lower in the highest vs. the lowest quartile after adjustment for potential confounders. In contrast, hair mercury, a marker for long-term exposure to mercury, was not associated with the risk. Previously in this study population, high hair mercury content has been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and attenuation of the beneficial impact of long-chain omega-3 PUFA on the risk. Also, we did not find associations with the intermediate-chain length omega-3 PUFA alpha-linolenic acid, either, which is a plant-based omega-3 PUFA. This suggests that the findings were specific to the long-chain omega-3 PUFAs from fish.
15 Jan Rotavirus Vaccine and Risk of Intussusception
MedicalResearch.com Interview with Eric S. Weintraub, M.P.H. Epidemiologist at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Mr. Weintraub: While current rotavirus vaccines were not associated with intussusception in large pre-licensure trials, recent post-licensure data (from international settings) suggest the possibility of a low risk of intussusception occurrence after receipt of monovalent rotavirus vaccination (RV1). We examined the risk of intussusception following RV1 vaccination in a U.S. population. In this study of more than 200,000 doses of RV1, a slight increased risk of intussusception was observed after vaccination, which should be considered in light of the benefits of preventing rotavirus associated illness.14 Jan Probiotics to Prevent Infantile Colic, Regurgitation and Functional Constipation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Flavia Indrio, MD
Department of Pediatrics
Aldo Moro University of Bari
Bari, Italy
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: The main finding is that for the first time the use in prevention instead of treatment with a probiotic for the colic regurgitation and constipation.
14 Jan Emergency Room Screening for Delirium
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Michael A. LaMantia
Regenstrief Institute, Inc. Investigator and
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. LaMantia: We conducted a systematic review of existing studies on delirium in emergency departments and found that neither completely validated delirium screening instruments nor an ideal schedule to perform delirium assessments exist there.
14 Jan Cataracts: Quitting Smoking Decreases Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Birgitta Ejdervik Lindblad, MD PhD Department of Ophthalmology Örebro University Hospital Örebro, Sweden MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We have investigated the association between smoking cessation and risk of having a cataract extraction among 44 371 Swedish men aged 45-79 years. During 12 years of follow up we identified 5713 incident cases of cataract extraction. Smoking cessation significantly decreased the risk with time. Men who currently smoked more than 15 cigarettes per day had a 42 % increased risk of cataract extraction compared with men who had never smoked. More than 20 years since quitting smoking, men who had smoked more than 15 cigarettes per day had a 21% increased risk of having a cataract extraction compared with men who had never smoked. The effect of smoking cessation was observed earlier among men who smoked less than 15 cigarettes per day but more than 2 decades since smoking cessation the risk had not decreased to the level of never smokers.14 Jan Commercialism in School Food and Beverages
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath, MSA
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: This study examined 2007-2012 commercialism trends in schools attended by nationally representative samples of US elementary and secondary students.
While some measures showed significant decreases over time (especially
beverage vending measures), most students at both elementary and secondary
school levels continued to be exposed to school-based commercialism.
Commercialism increased significantly with grade level. The most frequent
type of commercialism varied by school level: food coupons used as
incentives was most common at the elementary school level, while exclusive
beverage contracts were the most prevalent type of commercialism for middle
and high school students.
14 Jan Prostate Cancer: African American Men and Screening
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
David M. Albala, MD
Associated Medical Professionals of NY, PLLC
Syracuse, NY 13210
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Albala: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death and American man. Prostate cancer diagnosis and mortality differences between African American and Caucasian populations have been highlighted in the literature. Research has shown that African American males are at a biological predisposition for prostate cancer and that additional socioeconomic and physician-patient educational factors may contribute to a higher mortality rate among this group - over two times greater than that of Caucasian American males.
At present the most commonly used to detection tools for prostate cancer are the serum prostatic specific antigen test (PSA) and a digital rectal examination (DRE). These complementary tests provide physicians with an indication of whether to proceed with biopsy for a definitive pathological diagnosis. Despite ongoing disputes regarding the effectiveness of PSA screening as an indicator for prostate cancer, a superior alternative test as yet to become available for men at risk.
The American Urological Association (AUA) emphasizes the value of early detection and that sheared decision-making should not be overlooked and that shared decision making should be integral to screening decisions. The AUA urges individuals to personally assess, with their physicians, whether a PSA screen is necessary. Emphasis should be placed on the proper education of African American men who are at increased risk for the disease, as well as on their participation in repeated screening practices for the earliest possible detection of prostate cancer.
14 Jan Patient Preferences for Cancer Screening
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Jonathan Banks
Programme Manager: The Discovery Research Programme
Centre for Academic Primary Care
NIHR School for Primary Care Research
School of Social and Community Medicine
University of Bristol Bristol BS8 2PS
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Banks: We asked members of the public attending their local general practice or
primary care centre to consider a series of hypothetical scenarios or
vignettes which depicted cancer symptoms, their risk of cancer and the
investigative processes involved in testing for cancer. We wanted to
measure the point at which the risk of cancer outweighed the burden and
inconvenience of testing in relation to lung, colorectal and pancreas
cancers. Most people, around 88%, opted for testing even at the lowest risk
of cancer which in our vignettes was 1%. Further analyses showed variation
between cancers with fewer people opting for testing for colorectal cancer
at a low (1%) risk and more people choosing to be tested for all cancers in
the 60-69 age group.
12 Jan Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Ten Year Follow Up Study
[caption id="attachment_48090" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Chew[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview Emily Y. Chew, M.D. Deputy Director, Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications National Eye Institute National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Chew: We provided 10 year rates of development of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), either neovascular...
11 Jan MRSA and Nursing Home Admission Denials
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Courtney Reynolds, PhD
Medical Scientist Training Program
University of California Irvine, School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Reynolds: Our survey of factors influencing admission to 13 nursing homes in Orange County, California showed that MRSA carriers are denied admission more often than non-carriers, even after accounting for other important factors such as insurance status, required level of care and previous experience at the facility. In 80% of cases where MRSA carriage was responsible for denial of admission, nursing home administrators cited a lack of available single or cohort (MRSA only) rooms to accommodate these potential residents.