Author Interviews, Duke, Heart Disease, JAMA / 24.06.2015

Sean D. Pokorney, MD, MBA Division of Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sean D. Pokorney, MD, MBA Division of Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Pokorney: About 350,000 people die of sudden cardiac death in the US each year. Patients who have weakened heart function, particularly those with heart muscle damage as a result of a heart attack, are more likely to experience sudden cardiac death.  Defibrillators have been around since the 1980s, and have prolonged countless lives.  A previous study showed that 87% of patients who had a cardiac arrest were eligible for an implantable-cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) beforehand but did not get an ICD implanted prior to their arrest.  The timing of ICD implantation is critical, as studies have not found a benefit to ICD implantation early after myocardial infarction (MI).  Guidelines recommend primary prevention ICD implantation in patients with an EF ≤ 35% despite being treated with optimal medical therapy for at least 40 days after an MI.  Given the need to wait for at least 40 days after an MI, ICD consideration is susceptible to errors of omission during the transition of post-MI care between inpatient and outpatient care teams.  Also, the benefit of ICDs remains controversial among older patients, as these patients were underrepresented in clinical trials. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Pokorney: We looked at Medicare patients discharged from US hospitals after a heart attack between 2007 and 2010.  We focused on those patients who had weak heart function, and this left us with a little over 10,300 patients from 441 hospitals for our study.  This was an older patient population with a median age of 78 years.  We looked to see how many of these patients got an ICD within the first year after MI, and how many patients survived to 2 years after their heart attack.  Only 8% of patients received an ICD within 1 year of their heart attack.  ICD implantation was associated with a third lower risk of death within 2 years after a heart attack, and this was consistent with the benefit that were seen in the randomized clinical trials.  Importantly, 44% of the patients in our study were over 80 years old, and we found that the relationship between ICD use and mortality was the same for patients over and under age 80 years.  Increased patient contact with the health care system through early cardiology follow-up or re-hospitalization for heart failure or MI was associated with higher likelihood of ICD implantation.  Rates of ICD implantation remained around 1 in 10 patients within 1 year of MI even among patients with the largest heart attacks and the weakest hearts (lowest ejection fractions), who were least likely to have improvement in their heart function over time.  Similarly, even after excluding patients at highest risk for non-arrhythmic death (prior cancer, prior stroke, and end stage renal disease), ICD implantation rates remained around 1 in 10 patients. (more…)
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Duke, Heart Disease, JACC / 24.06.2015

Satoru Kishi, MD Division of Cardiology Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MarylandMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Satoru Kishi, MD Division of Cardiology Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Kishi: Blood pressure (BP) at the higher end of the population distribution may represent a chronic exposure that produces chronic injury to the cardiovascular system. Cumulative BP exposure from young adulthood to middle age may adversely influence myocardial function and predispose individuals to heart failure (HF) and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. The 2005 guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of HF from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association highlight the importance of early recognition of subclinical cardiac disease and the importance of non-invasive tests in the clinical evaluation of heart failure. Our main objective was to investigate how cumulative exposure to high blood pressure from young to middle adulthood influence LV function. In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, multiple repeated measures of BP and other cardiovascular risk factors was recorded over a 25 year time span, starting during early adulthood (ages 18-30). (more…)
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Duke, Weight Research / 18.06.2015

William S. Yancy, Jr., MD, MHSc Research Associate Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care Durham, NC 27705 Associate Professor Department of Medicine Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: William S. Yancy, Jr., MD, MHSc Research Associate Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care Durham, NC  27705 Associate Professor Department of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Yancy: A number of studies have compared different diet approaches for weight management with many of these finding that several different diets can result in significant weight loss. This has led many experts to advise that we should offer a choice among these diet options to our patients who are seeking to lose weight. We know that adherence is the best predictor of weight loss during dietary interventions, so the thought is that patients will adhere better to a diet that they prefer, resulting in more successful weight loss. In addition, allowing choice enhances patient autonomy, which is patient-centered and has been shown to increase treatment adherence. However, the previous studies of various diet approaches did not let people choose a diet, so we don’t actually know if letting them choose will lead to better weight loss. Our study specifically tested this assumption. We randomized participants to a condition where they were allowed to choose between 2 common weight loss diets or to a condition where they were randomly assigned to one of the diets. The 2 diets we used were a low-carbohydrate diet without calorie restriction and a low-fat diet combined with calorie restriction. Participants received counseling about the diets, and about behavioral strategies and physical activity, in 19 group sessions over the span of 12 months. They also received 6 phone calls with motivational counseling in the latter half of the program. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Duke, Genetic Research, JAMA / 11.06.2015

Michaela Dinan, Ph.D. Duke Clinical Research Institute and Duke Cancer Institute Department of Medicine Duke University School of Medicine Durham, North CarolinaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michaela Dinan, Ph.D. Duke Clinical Research Institute and Duke Cancer Institute Department of Medicine Duke University School of Medicine Durham, North Carolina Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: I think it will be critical to further explore the implications of Oncotype DX breast cancer assay (ODX testing) in women with breast cancer.  The ODX test helps predict which cancers will be more aggressive as well as guide recommendations as to which patients would most likely benefit from chemotherapy. I think we should look to see what impact this test is really having on the use of chemotherapy and its associated costs and outcomes for real-world breast cancer patients. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Compliance, Duke, Heart Disease / 06.06.2015

Robin Mathews, MD Duke Clinical Research Institute Duke University Medical Center Durham, NCMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Robin Mathews, MD Duke Clinical Research Institute Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Mathews: Though treatment for patients with an acute myocardial infarction with evidence based therapies has increased significantly over the years, adherence to these therapies after discharge remain sub optimal. We used a validated instrument, the Morisky scale, to assess patient medication adherence.  We found that in a contemporary population of 7,425 patients across 216 hospitals, about 30% of patients were not adherent to prescribed cardiovascular medications as early as 6 weeks after discharge. Patients with low adherence were more likely to report financial hardship as well as have signs of depression. In addition, we found that patients who had follow up arranged prior to discharge and those that received explanations from the provider on the specific medications, were more often adherent to therapies. There was a non significant increase in risk of death or readmission at 2 months (HR [95% CI]: 1.35 [0.98-1.87]) among low adherence patients. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Depression, Duke, Heart Disease, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 24.04.2015

 Dr. Robert J. Mentz MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Director, Duke University Cooperative Cardiovascular Society Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Duke University Medical Center Duke Clinical Research InstituteMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Robert J. Mentz MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Director, Duke University Cooperative Cardiovascular Society Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Duke University Medical Center Duke Clinical Research Institute Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Mentz: Previous studies have shown that depression is associated with worse outcomes in heart failure patients; however, most of these prior studies were conducted in primarily white patient populations. The impact of depressive symptoms on outcomes specifically in blacks with heart failure has not been well studied. We used data from the HF-ACTION trial of exercise training in heart failure patients, which collected data on depressive symptoms via the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), to assess the association between depressive symptoms and outcomes in black patients as compared with white patients. We found that in blacks with heart failure, baseline symptoms of depression and worsening of symptoms over time were both associated with increased all-cause mortality/hospitalization. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Heart Disease, JACC, Women's Heart Health / 15.04.2015

Matthew E. Dupre, PhD Associate Professor of Medicine Department of Community and Family Medicine Department of Sociology Duke Clinical Research InstituteMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Matthew E. Dupre, PhD Associate Professor of Medicine Department of Community and Family Medicine Department of Sociology Duke Clinical Research Institute MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Dupre: The negative health consequences of divorce have been known for some time. However, we showed that lifetime exposure to divorce can have a lasting impact on ones’ cardiovascular health, particularly in women. This is a good example of why people going through a divorce need a good divorce lawyer chicago in order to keep their stress levels down and help their cardiovascular health. Results from our study showed that risks for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were significantly higher in women who had one divorce, two or more divorces, and among the remarried compared with continuously married women after adjusting for multiple risk factors. Risks for AMI were elevated only in men with a history of two or more divorces relative to continuously married men. We were especially surprised to find that women who remarried had risks for AMI that were nearly equivalent to that of divorced women. Men who remarried had no significant risk for acute myocardial infarction. The results of this study provide strong evidence that cumulative exposure to divorce increases the risk of acute myocardial infarction in older adults. Also somewhat unexpected was that the associations remained largely unchanged after accounting for a variety socioeconomic, psychosocial, behavioral, and physiological factors. However, we lacked information on several factors that we suspect may have contributed to the risks related to divorce – such as elevated stress, anxiety, and the loss of social support; as well as possible changes is medication adherence or other prophylactic behaviors. MedicalResearch: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? (more…)
Author Interviews, CT Scanning, Duke, Heart Disease, NEJM / 02.04.2015

Pamela S. Douglas, M.D. Duke University School of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27715MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Pamela S. Douglas, M.D. Duke University School of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27715 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Douglas: The primary objective of the PROMISE study was to compare the health outcomes of people who went to the doctor with new symptoms such as shortness of breath and/or chest pain that were suggestive of coronary artery disease and that required additional evaluation. This was an important investigation because no large research trial has ever been conducted to help guide the care of such patients. Instead, the selection of tests for such patients—which constitutes at least 4 million patients in the United States each year—has been largely left up to physician and patient preference rather than proven results. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Douglas: 10,003 patients from 193 different medical facilities across the US and Canada agreed to be part of the PROMISE study and  were randomized to a functional stress test or an anatomic test Using CT angiography.  The study found that the clinical outcomes of participants with suspected coronary artery disease were excellent overall, and were similar in terms of death and major cardiac conditions regardless of whether patients had a functional stress test or a computed tomographic scan. However, the CT scan may be better at ruling out the need for subsequent tests and procedures in patients who are free of heart disease, and involved a lower radiation exposure relative to a stress nuclear study. We also found, in a separately reported study, that the costs of the two diagnostic strategies were similar. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, HPV, Stem Cells / 01.04.2015

Marc Ryser PhD Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics Duke University Durham, North CarolinaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marc Ryser PhD Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics Duke University Durham, North Carolina Medical Research: What is the background for this study Dr. Ryser: Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for approximately 5% of all cancers worldwide. In addition to cervical cancers, HPV is associated with various other female and male cancers, including cancers of the anus and oropharynx. Despite expansive screening and vaccination programs, HPV-related cancers remain a serious public health concern in the US and abroad. To further improve public health interventions against HPV, a thorough understanding of the underlying biology is critical. The lifetime risk of getting infected with HPV is as high as 80%, yet most individuals remain asymptomatic and clear the virus after 1-2 years.  However, if an infection with a high-risk type of HPV persists, the virus can interfere with the replication mechanism of the host cells, and initiate tumor growth. Even though our understanding is incomplete to date, clearance of HPV infections is primarily attributed to an effective immune response. Interestingly, recent studies about the stem cell dynamics in epithelial tissues - the types of tissues that are affected by HPV -  have shown that the fate of these stem cells is random: most of the time, a stem cell divides into a new stem cell and a differentiating daughter cell; however, every now and then, a stem cell divides either into two stem cells, or into two differentiating daughter cells. These dynamics have not been acknowledged by the HPV community, and our goal was to develop mathematical models to examine whether the random division patterns of stem cells could play a role in the clearance of HPV infections. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Personalized Medicine, Technology / 27.03.2015

Ryan Jeffrey Shaw, PhD, MS, RN Assistant Professor School of Nursing Center for Health Informatics Center for Precision Medicine Duke University MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ryan Jeffrey Shaw, PhD, MS, RN Assistant Professor School of Nursing Center for Health Informatics Center for Precision Medicine Duke University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Shaw: Primary care delivery revolves around a series of episodes, rather than functioning as a continuum. When patients come to a clinic data on their health is collected as a single data point. This model neglects potentially meaningful data from patients’ daily lives and results in less informed treatment and scheduling of follow-up visits. Lack of meaningful data further blinds clinicians to patients’ health outside of the clinic and can contribute to unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Personalized care through mobile health technologies inspires the transition from isolated snapshots based on serial visits to real time and trended data. By using technologies from cell phones to wearable sensors, providers have the ability to monitor patients and families outside of the traditional office visit. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Duke, Genetic Research, JAMA, Personalized Medicine / 05.03.2015

Dr. Michaela A. Dinan Ph.D Department of Medicine Duke UniversityMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Michaela A. Dinan Ph.D Department of Medicine Duke University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Dinan: We wanted to examine how  Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Test (ODX) was being used in real-world practice at the population level. ODX has been examined in clinical trials and limited academic settings but we know that these patients are often younger, have fewer medical comorbidities, and do not necessarily accurately reflect the majority patients with cancer.  In our study, we observed that Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Test was being used predominately in accordance with guidelines which recommend the test for women with estrogen-receptor positive, disease. We also looked just at women under the age of 70 who met guideline criteria for testing, because this population would include those women who were more likely to be chemotherapy candidates, and we saw a rapid uptake of the test between 2005 and 2009, with use of the test increasing from 8% to 39%. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Duke, JAMA, Radiation Therapy, Thyroid / 19.02.2015

Sanziana Roman MD FACS Professor of Surgery Duke University  Section of Endocrine Surgery Director of the Endocrine Surgery Fellows and Scholars Program Duke University School of Medicine Chief, General Surgery and Associate Chief of Surgery for Clinical Affairs, DVAMCMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sanziana Roman MD FACS Professor of Surgery Duke University Section of Endocrine Surgery Director of the Endocrine Surgery Fellows and Scholars Program Duke University School of Medicine Chief, General Surgery and Associate Chief of Surgery for Clinical Affairs, DVAMC Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Roman: Adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI) is commonly used in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer. The main goals of adjuvant RAI therapy are to ablate remnant thyroid tissue in order to facilitate long-term follow-up of patients, decrease the risk of recurrence, or treat persistent and metastatic lesions. On the other hand, Adjuvant radioactive iodine ( therapy is expensive, with an average cost per patient ranging between $5,429.58 and $9,105.67. It also carries the burden of several potential complications, including loss of taste, nausea, stomatitis with ulcers, acute and/or chronic sialoadenitis, salivary duct obstruction, dental caries, tooth loss, epiphora, anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, acute radiation pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis, male infertility, and radiation-induced malignancies. Therefore, Adjuvant radioactive iodine ( should be used only for appropriately selected patients, for whom the benefits would outweigh the risks. Based on current guidelines, adjuvant RAI is not recommended for patients with papillary thyroid cancers confined to the thyroid gland when all foci are ≤1 cm (papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, or PTMC). Similarly, Adjuvant radioactive iodine ( does not have a role in the treatment of medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancer. Given the fact that variation in treatments exist, our goal was to analyze patterns of inappropriate adjuvant RAI use in the U.S. in order to identify potential misuses leading to an increase of costs for the healthcare system and unnecessary patients’ exposure to risks of complications. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke / 14.01.2015

Nenad Bursac PhD Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor of Medicine Duke UniversityMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Nenad Bursac PhD Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor of Medicine Duke University     Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Bursac: Researchers have tried for a long time to coax human muscle cells (obtained from needle biopsies) into contracting muscle fibers in a dish in order to be able to study human muscle physiology ex vivo. We are the first group that succeeded by carefully optimizing culture conditions including methods to expand and then culture cells in three-dimensional hydrogel matrices under passive tension. By doing so, we made first human muscle model that in response to electrical stimulation generates classical muscle contractile responses (twitch and tetanus). We have also shown that these engineered muscles (that we call "myobundles") contract in response to acetylcholine as it naturally happens when neurons in our body activate muscle. We demonstrated reproducibility and robustness of the approach by generating functional myobundles with similar properties from 10 independent donor muscle samples. We further went to show that myobundles have intact signaling characteristic of native muscle and respond to diverse set of drugs as human muscles do in clinics. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Duke / 12.12.2014

Rachel Blitzblau, M.D., Ph.D. Butler Harris Assistant Professor Department of Radiation Oncology Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rachel Blitzblau, M.D., Ph.D. Butler Harris Assistant Professor Department of Radiation Oncology Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Blitzblau: Radiation reduces the risk of loco-regional recurrence. Data from the CALGB 9343 study suggests that the local benefit from adjuvant radiation is less in older women with small, . The potential acute and late toxicities of radiotherapy, patient inconvenience and healthcare costs must be considered given the small clinical benefit associated with adjuvant radiotherapy in this patient group. We looked at rates of radiotherapy in women fitting the entry criteria of this trial before and after publication of 5 year results of the CALGB trial. We found an approximately 5% decrease in use of radiotherapy overall, and noted that there seemed to be a small but significant shift in the type of radiotherapy used for these patients. Less patients received standard whole breast radiotherapy, and more received a short course of treatment to just the tumor bed plus margin called accelerated partial breast irradiation. We concluded that the publication of the trial therefore had only a very small impact on practice patterns. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Radiology, Thyroid Disease / 03.11.2014

Dr. Jenny Hoang MBBS (Hons) Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiation Oncology Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Jenny Hoang MBBS (Hons) Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiation Oncology Duke University Medical Center   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Hoang: The incidental thyroid nodule (ITN) is a very common finding on imaging studies of the neck, chest and cervical spine. The workup of incidental thyroid nodules has led to increased costs from additional procedures and in some cases to increased risk to the patient. Physicians are concerned about the risk of malignancy and a delayed cancer diagnosis, but the majority of incidental thyroid nodules are benign and small incidental thyroid malignancies typically have indolent behavior. The American College of Radiology (ACR) formed the Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee to derive a practical approach to managing ITNs on CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound studies. This white paper describes consensus recommendations representing the Committee’s review of the literature and their practice experience. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Duke, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 29.10.2014

Kevin L Thomas, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Division of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Duke Clinical Research InstituteMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kevin L Thomas, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Division of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Duke Clinical Research Institute   Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Thomas: The number of participants with controlled blood pressure (readings of less than 140/90) increased by 12 percent in the six months between the first and last readings. Mean systolic blood pressure for the population decrease by 4.7mmHg. The number of participants who had high blood pressure in the range of 140-149/90-99 decreased systolic blood pressure by a mean of  8.8mmHg and those with readings in the higher range of 150/100 or above decreased systolic blood pressure by 23.7percent. The study concluded that a program that followed this type of approach was associated with improved blood pressures across a diverse  high-risk community.” (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, General Medicine, Mental Health Research, Nature / 31.07.2014

Rainbo Hultman, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate Laboratory for Psychiatric Neuroengineering, Principal Investigator Affective Cognitive and Addiction Disorders (ACAD) Research Group Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Center for Neuroengineering Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rainbo Hultman, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate Laboratory for Psychiatric Neuroengineering, Principal Investigator Affective Cognitive and Addiction Disorders (ACAD) Research Group Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Center for Neuroengineering Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Hultman: Using a mouse model of stress-induced psychiatric dysfunction, we found that the brainwave patterns in two key brain regions (prefrontal cortex, PFC and amygdala, AMY) encode for susceptibility to such dysfunction. Furthermore, such susceptibility can be predicted from the brainwave patterns in these regions before the onset of stress. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Duke, Pain Research / 26.05.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Seok-Yong Lee, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of BiochemistrySeok-Yong Lee, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Ru-Rong Ji, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor  of Duke University Professor of Anesthesiology  and Neurobiology Chief of Pain ResearchRu-Rong Ji, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor  of Duke University Professor of Anesthesiology  and Neurobiology Chief of Pain Research Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study?

 Answer: We have developed an antibody that can block the pain and itching sensations in mice simultaneously with high efficacy. We would like to point out that our discovery has the potential to be applied to human once the antibody is humanized. Given the high selectivity, general safety profile, and long half-lives of monoclonal antibodies, this method we developed to raise antibodies against therapeutic targets (e.g., ion channels) can have broad applications to other diseases. (more…)
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Duke, JAMA / 29.03.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ann Marie Navar-Boggan, MD, PhD Division of Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Navar-Boggan: Two groups of adults are really affected by the updated guidelines. First, 13.5 million adults, including one in five adults over the age of 60, were previously considered to have uncontrolled blood pressure but now meet new guideline goals. Next, 14 million adults over the age of 60 (one in four adults in this age group) are currently on blood pressure lowering therapy and meeting the older, more stringent targets. The guidelines state that no changes are necessary in this group, but they may be eligible for reduced therapy, particularly if they have had side effects or difficulty with the therapies they are taking. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Lipids, NEJM, Statins / 28.03.2014

Michael J. Pencina, PhD Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Director of Biostatistics Duke Clinical Research Institute Durham, NC 27710 MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael J. Pencina, PhD Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Director of Biostatistics Duke Clinical Research Institute Durham, NC 27710 MedicalResearch.com: What motivated your research? Dr. Pencina: After the new guidelines were issued last November, we were intrigued by the change in treatment philosophy from that based on cholesterol levels (used by the “old guidelines” known as NCEP ATPIII) to one based on 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (used by the new AHA-ACC guidelines).  We were curious what the practical consequences of this shift would be. Furthermore, the media quoted a lot of experts making educated guesses on the impact.  We realized that this question can be answered much more precisely based on the NHANES data. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Duke, JAMA, Ophthalmology / 14.03.2014

Glenn Yiu, MD, PhD Duke Ophthalmology Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Glenn Yiu, MD, PhD Duke Ophthalmology Duke University Medical Center MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Yiu: This paper reported a child who suffered injury to both eyes from a powerful blue laser pointer purchased via the internet from overseas. Our report reviews the scientific basis for laser injuries in eyes and the factors that may affect outcomes, such as power, wavelength, duration, and distance of exposure. Newer green and blue lasers, especially high-powered ones, may be more prone to inducing eye injuries. We summarized the clinical features of ocular laser injuries, methods of prevention, and discussed how consumer availability of high powered lasers may require careful federal regulations. (more…)
Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Duke, Medical Research Centers, Stroke, UCLA / 18.02.2014

Gregg C Fonarow, UCLA Medical Ctr, Los Angeles, CA; Director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center Professor, Department of Medicine Associate Chief, Cardiology David Geffen School of MedicineMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gregg C Fonarow, UCLA Medical Ctr, Los Angeles, CA; Director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center Professor, Department of Medicine Associate Chief, Cardiology David Geffen School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Fonarow: The study examined data from hospitals that have adopted the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s national quality initiative, Target: Stroke. The primary aim of Target: Stroke is to increase the number of stroke patients treated with tPA for acute ischemic stroke within 60 minutes or less after hospital arrival. The study demonstrated that patients received stroke therapy significantly faster in hospitals that participated in Target: Stroke. Between 2010 and 2013, the time between hospital arrival and use of tPA (door-to-needle time) dropped by 15 minutes, from 74 to 59 minutes, in hospitals that participated in Target: Stroke. This study found that the percentage of patients treated within the recommended timeframe increased from less than one-third before Target: Stroke to more than half afterwards. The Target: Stroke program goal of 50 percent or more of patients having door-to-needle times within 60 minutes was successfully achieved. Faster treatment was associated with improved patient outcomes and fewer complications, including death. (more…)
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Duke, Flu - Influenza, Vaccine Studies / 11.02.2014

Dr Cameron Wolfe MBBS(Hons), MPH Assistant Professor of Medicine Clinical / Transplant Infectious Diseases Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.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. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, JAMA, Pediatrics, Sexual Health / 31.12.2013

Stewart C. Alexander, PhD Department of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Durham, North CarolinaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stewart C. Alexander, PhD Department of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Alexander: Adolescents are reluctant to talk about sex with their doctors and won't raise the topic with their doctors. For physicians, there are common and valid barriers to talking about sexuality with adolescents, including time pressures and discomfort with the topic. Two-thirds of adolescents in our study had some sexuality talk during their annual visit, lasting 36 seconds long. Girls, African Americans, and older teens were more likely to receive sexuality talk. Additionally, longer visits and visits where the physician talked confidentially with their adolescent patient were more likely to have sexuality talk. Our study suggest that sexuality conversations in annual visits can be improved. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Social Issues, Vanderbilt / 10.10.2013

Kaitlin Toner, Ph.D. Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment Vanderbilt Climate Change Research Network 2301 Vanderbilt Place Nashville, TN 37240MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kaitlin Toner, Ph.D. Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment Vanderbilt Climate Change Research Network Nashville, TN 37240 Dr. Kaitlin Toner, is a postdoctoral researcher at Vanderbilt University. The study was conducted colleagues Mark Leary, Michael Asher, and Katrina Jongman-Sereno while Dr. Toner was a graduate student at Duke University. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Toner: The take home message is that people who hold more extreme attitudes also tend to feel superior about those attitudes, whereas people with moderate attitudes aren't as convinced of the superiority of their own beliefs.  Although it might seem that this connection between attitude extremity and superiority seems reasonable, there’s no logical reason why people who hold moderate, middle-of-the-road attitudes should not think that their moderate attitudes are superior to other people’s.  But they don’t tend to do that; it’s the people with extreme attitudes who are inordinately convinced that they are right. These findings are important because it sheds some light on how people become so polarized in their opinions: they don't just take a side, but they believe everyone who disagrees with that view must be wrong. Importantly, it's not just one political party who thinks this way, as previous research had suggested, but rather that it happens for both liberal and conservative attitudes.  And, given the stalemate in Washington, understanding why people become so entrenched in their views – even when there is often not an objectively correct answer – is more important than ever. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Prostate Cancer / 10.10.2013

Susan Halabi, PhD Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 2771MedicalResearch.com Interview with Susan Halabi, PhD Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Halabi: The purpose of assessing surrogate endpoints is to allow for a more rapid and efficient determination of whether a given therapy provides clinical benefit to patients by prolonging their life. We sought to evaluate PSA kinetics as surrogate endpoints for overall survival (OS) in mCRPC patients who were receiving second line chemotherapy (cabazitaxel or mitoxantrone) following progression after docetaxel. Using different analytical approaches, we found that PSA declines within the first three months of treatment are not appropriate as surrogate markers of clinical benefit in men who were receiving second line chemotherapy. This analysis has important clinical care and study design implications:  it has become common to use ≥30% decline in PSA as a clinical trial endpoint for all patients with metastatic CRPC, based on the original front-line docetaxel data. The data presented in this study suggest that this is erroneous. Further we believe these data are important because they demonstrate that there are different disease states within the group of patients with “metastatic CRPC". To make the assumption that the same surrogate endpoint can be used across the board may seem like an obvious mistake, but permeates the literature. (more…)
CMAJ, Cost of Health Care, Duke, MRI, Orthopedics / 18.09.2013

Matthew P. Lungren, MD Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Matthew P. Lungren, MD Duke University Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Lungren: In the single center study, knee MRIs are more likely to be normal when the referring doctor has a financial stake in the imaging center or the equipment used; these data suggest that some of these examinations may be unnecessary. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Heart Disease, Outcomes & Safety, Surgical Research / 05.09.2013

Marco D. Huesch, MBBS, Ph.D., Assistant professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Adjunct professor with Duke’s School of Medicine and Fuqua School of Business.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marco D. Huesch, MBBS, Ph.D. Assistant professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Adjunct professor with Duke’s School of Medicine and Fuqua School of Business. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: This study asked whether ‘learning by doing’ works backwards too, as ‘forgetting by not doing’. In an nutshell, the answer is ‘no’ among the Californian cardiac surgeons I examined with short breaks of around a month. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, JAMA, Mental Health Research / 30.08.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arif Khan, MD Medical Director, Northwest Clinical Research Center Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry Duke University Medical Center and Christine Khan, Psychiatric Nurse 1951 – 152nd  Place NE Northwest Clinical Research Center Bellevue, WA 98007 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of your study?
  1. The original idea set in early 20th century that psychiatric patients discharged from mental hospitals had a shortened life span or faced early death was supported by this analysis of psychiatric patients participating in research trials for new medications.  There was no increased risk of early death or shortened life span for participating in these research clinical trials. 
  2. Life span shortening or increased risk of early death is highest among patients with schizophrenia, followed by patients with major mood disorders such as Bipolar Mood Disorder and Major Depression. (more…)