Author Interviews, Hematology, JAMA, Stem Cells, Transplantation / 03.07.2014

John F. Tisdale, MDMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. John Tisdale MD Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Tisdale: Using a nonmyeloablative allogeneic HLA-match peripheral blood stem cell transplantation strategy aimed at tolerance induction, we were able to revert the phenotype in 26 of 30 adult patients with severe sickle cell disease ranging in age from 16 to 65 years. In contrast to standard transplantation strategies which rely on high doses of chemo and/or radiotherapy after which the entire bone marrow and blood system is replaced by that of the donor, our patients had a mixture of their own and that of their donor. This procedure was well tolerated, with no non-relapse mortality, and led to complete replacement of red blood cells by that of the donor in successfully engrafted patients. This replacement resulted in decreases in pain, pain medication usage, hospitalizations, and improvements in organ function.
Anemia, Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, Transfusions / 28.05.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: David T. Gilbertson, Ph.D. Chronic Disease Research Group Center for Observational Research, Amgen, Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA MedicalResearch: What were the main findings of the study? Dr. Gilbertson: Since transfusion avoidance is important in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis, development of a measure of red blood cell transfusion use to assess dialysis facility anemia management is reasonable. Because dialysis facility size varies widely, calculation of a standardized transfusion ratio (STfR) using standard methods is possible, but these methods result in significant instability in estimates for small dialysis facilities. Use of more advanced statistical methods results in standardized transfusion ratio estimates that are considerably more stable and more consistently precise across dialysis facilities of all sizes.
Anemia, Author Interviews, BMJ, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 04.07.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with Batool Haider, MD, MS, DSc candidate Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition School of Public Health Harvard University Anaemia, prenatal iron use, and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Haider: The main findings of the study are that iron use in the prenatal period increased maternal mean haemoglobin concentration by 4.59 (95% confidence interval 3.72 to 5.46) g/L compared with controls and significantly reduced the risk of anaemia (relative risk 0.50, 0.42 to 0.59), iron deficiency (0.59, 0.46 to 0.79), iron deficiency anaemia (0.40, 0.26 to 0.60), and low birth weight (0.81, 0.71 to 0.93). The effect of iron on preterm birth was not significant (relative risk 0.84, 0.68 to 1.03). Analysis of cohort studies showed a significantly higher risk of low birth weight (adjusted odds ratio 1.29, 1.09 to 1.53) and preterm birth (1.21, 1.13 to 1.30) with anaemia in the first or second trimester. Exposure-response analysis indicated that for every 10 mg increase in iron dose/day, up to 66 mg/day, the relative risk of maternal anaemia was 0.88 (0.84 to 0.92) (P for linear trend<0.001). Birth weight increased by 15.1 (6.0 to 24.2) g (P for linear trend=0.005) and risk of low birth weight decreased by 3% (relative risk 0.97, 0.95 to 0.98) for every 10 mg increase in dose/day (P for linear trend<0.001). Duration of use was not significantly associated with the outcomes after adjustment for dose. Furthermore, for each 1 g/L increase in mean haemoglobin, birth weight increased by 14.0 (6.8 to 21.8) g (P for linear trend=0.002); however, mean haemoglobin was not associated with the risk of low birth weight and preterm birth. No evidence of a significant effect on duration of gestation, small for gestational age births, and birth length was noted.
Author Interviews, Hematology, Surgical Research, Transfusions / 08.05.2013

MedicalResearch.com eInterview with Luca Weltert, MD Cardiac Surgery Department of the European Hospital in Rome, Presentation during the Plenary Scientific Session of the 93rd AATS Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Luca Weltert: This study illustrates the efficacy of Human Recombinant Erythropoietin (HRE) in avoiding blood transfusions in the heart surgery setting. And aside from complicated number, tables and statistics tells that HRE can reduce Blood Transfusions as much as 65%, while at the same time not exposing patients to any substantial added risk.