General Medicine
20 Aug Autism Risk in Siblings
MedicalResearch.com: Interview with: Therese Koops Grønborg PhD student/ph.d.-studerende, MSc Section of Biostatistics/Sektion for Biostatistisk Department of Public Health/Institut for Folkesundhed Aarhus University Bartholins Allé 2, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: There are three important findings in our study. We estimated a population-based Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) sibling recurrence risk relative to the background population and found an almost seven-fold increase. While this indeed is an increased risk, it is also lower than what other recent studies have suggested. We also compared the relative recurrence risk for full and maternal/paternal half siblings and found a lower relative recurrence risk in half siblings than in full siblings, which supports the genetic pathway to ASD. The recurrence risk for maternal half siblings is still higher than for the background population suggesting that factors unique to the mother, such as the intrauterine environment and perinatal history, may contribute to ASD. Last, but not least, we estimated the time trends in the relative recurrence risk. While the ASD prevalence has been increasing for several years, we found no time trends in the relative recurrence risk, suggesting that the factors contributing to the risk for ASDs recurrence in siblings (perhaps a combination of genes and environment) have not changed over time.16 Aug Mitral Valve Regurgitation from Flail Leaflets: Early Surgical Intervention May be Warranted
Posted at 18:49h
in Author Interviews, General Medicine, Heart Disease, Mayo Clinic, Surgical Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rakesh M. Suri MD, D.Phil.
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
MedicalResearch.com: What might clinicians “take home” from this study?
Answers:
a. The contemporary outcomes of surgical correction of mitral regurgitation are excellent based upon results observed in this large multinational, multi-institutional study, Mitral valve surgery now has a low peri-operative risk of death or complications, and a very high likelihood of saving a patient’s own heart valve (>90% - repair); thereby avoiding the need for replacement with an artificial valve substitute.
b. All patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation are at risk for heart failure and/or death when surgical correction is delayed. A safe period of “watchful waiting” in those with severe mitral regurgitation due to flail leaflets, even in the absence of traditional Class I triggers for surgery (symptoms or left ventricular dilation/dysfunction) does not exist.
c. Prompt mitral valve surgery within months following the diagnosis of severe degenerative mitral regurgitation, even in those without symptoms, is associated with important and sustained long term benefits including a 40% decrease in death and 60% less heart failure risk, sustained many years following surgical intervention
16 Aug Rheumatoid Arthritis: Omega Fatty Acids from Fish Lowered Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daniela Di Giuseppe Division of Nutritional Epidemiology Institute of Environmental Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm 171 77, Sweden MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Women whose long-term intake of omega 3 PUFAs exceeded 0.21 g a day, equivalent to at least one serving of fatty fish or four servings of lean fish a week, had half the risk (52% lower) of rheumatoid arthritis of women who consumed less.09 Aug Obesity in US: Aggravated by Agricultural Policy That Encourages High-Fat/Sugar Foods
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Caroline Franck, MSc Dvisions of Cardiology and Clinical Epidemiology McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We found that, although subsidies are needed to protect farmers from production risks, the current allocation of payments encourages the sustained overproduction of a handful of grains and oilseeds. Overproduction contributes to making the end products cheaper, which are then processed into energy-dense and high-fat/sugar foods. Obesity should be treated as a systems problem, in which farm production plays an important role.08 Aug Alcohol dependence and PTSD: Simultaneous Treatment Improves Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with Edna B. Foa, PhD Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Foa: Naltrexone was effective in decreasing the percentage of days drinking in people with alcohol dependence and posttraumatic stress disorder during active treatment. Six months after treatment discontinuation, participants who received prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD drank less than those who did not receive prolonged exposure. Participants who received a combined treatment of prolonged exposure and naltrexone had the lowest drinking level after six-month treatment discontinuation. The main message of the study is that simultaneous treatment of alcohol dependence and PTSD yield superior outcome than each treatment alone. Importantly, the findings indicated that prolonged exposure therapy was not associated with increased drinking or alcohol craving, a concern that has been voiced by some investigators. In fact, reduction in PTSD severity and drinking was evident for all four treatment groups. This finding contradicts that common view that trauma-focuses therapy is contraindicated for individuals with alcohol dependence and PTSD, because it may exacerbate PTSD symptoms and thereby lead to increased alcohol use.28 Jun Diabetes: Elevated Transferrin Saturation associated with Mortality
MedicalResearch.com: Interview with Christina Ellervik Associate Professor Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen , Denmark MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Early measurement of transferrin saturation leading to early intervention in patients with late-onset type 1 diabetes improves life expectancy. Excess death is mainly due to cancer-specific death.20 Jun Childhood Sleep Apnea : A Randomized Trial of Adenotonsillectomy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Susan Redline M.D.,M.P.H.
Peter C. Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women's Hospital
221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Redline: Among children with sleep apnea, early adenotonsillectomy resulted in significant improvements in breathing during sleep, daytime behavior, sleep related symptoms, sleepiness and quality of life when we valuated 6 months after surgery.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
12 Apr Newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Newswise — April 11 2012— Mayo Clinic in Florida will be one of the first health care institutions in the United States to offer a newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The condition, also known as acid reflux disease, can lead to serious health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
05 Oct Calorific controversy for intensive care patients
Posted at 00:19h
in General Medicine
Patients who are fed more calories while in intensive care have lower mortality rates than those who receive less of their daily-prescribed calories, according to a recent study of data from the largest critical care nutrition database in the world. “Our finding is significant as there have been a number of...
05 Aug Increase in Public Health Spending May Result in Healthier People
Posted at 19:31h
in General Medicine
LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 1, 2011) — A groundbreaking new study published in the journal, Health Affairs, suggests that increases in public health spending result in healthier people, especially in communities with fewer resources. The study was co-authored by Glen P. Mays, the new F. Douglas Scutchfield Endowed Professor in Health Services...