Author Interviews, Emory, Mental Health Research, Technology / 10.05.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34507" align="alignleft" width="195"]Jessica Maples-Keller Emory University School of Medicine. Jessica Maples-Keller[/caption] Jessica Maples-Keller Emory University School of Medicine. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response:  This manuscript is a review of the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology within psychiatric treatment. VR refers to an advanced technological communication interface in which the user is actively participated in a computer generated 3-d virtual world that includes sensory input devices used to simulate real-world interactive experiences. VR is a powerful tool for the psychiatric community, as it allows providers to create computer-generated environments in a controlled setting, which can be used to create a sense of presence and immersion in the feared environment for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Emory, Neurological Disorders / 17.01.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31238" align="alignleft" width="100"]Andres Rodriguez Ruiz, MD</strong> Clinical Neurophysiology and Neurology Emory School of Medicine Dr. Andres Rodriguez Ruiz[/caption] Andres Rodriguez Ruiz, MD Clinical Neurophysiology and Neurology Emory School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The Critical Care EEG monitoring research consortium (CCEMRC) was established with the goal of promoting collaboration and research among healthcare institutions highly involved in continuous EEG monitoring of critically ill patients. This group together with the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) established the standardized critical care EEG terminology that allowed uniform reporting of EEG findings in critically ill patients. As part of this effort, a database was developed for collection and clinical reporting of such EEG findings and was adopted for daily clinical use by Yale University, Emory University and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Prior retrospective reports have acknowledged an association between periodic discharges and seizures. However, many of these reports were small series and did not include specific characteristics of these patterns. Our goal was to ascertain whether features of periodic and rhythmic patterns such as location (generalized vs. lateralized), frequency and prevalence influenced seizure risk in a large cohort of critically ill adults.
Author Interviews, Emory, Fertility, OBGYNE / 01.12.2016

[caption id="attachment_30068" align="alignleft" width="200"]Jennifer F. Kawwass, MD, FACOG Assistant Professor, Emory Reproductive Center Director of Third Party Reproduction, Emory Reproductive Center Dr. Jennifer F. Kawwass[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jennifer F. Kawwass, MD, FACOG Assistant Professor, Emory Reproductive Center Director of Third Party Reproduction, Emory Reproductive Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: With the increasing use of assisted reproductive technology (ART), the number of cryopreserved embryos in storage has increased, as residual viable embryos from an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle may be frozen for future use. Each embryo maintains attributes reflective of the age of the female at time of the original oocyte retrieval. Embryo donation, a form of third-party reproduction, involves donation without compensation of previously formed embryos to another couple for implantation. Limited published data exist detailing outcomes of donor embryo cycles. Patients and clinicians would benefit from information specific to donor embryo cycles to inform fertility treatment options, counselling, and clinical decision-making. We sought to quantify trends in donor embryo cycles in the United States, to characterize donor embryo recipients, and to report transfer, pregnancy, and birth outcomes of donor embryo transfers.
Author Interviews, Autism, Emory, Pediatrics / 25.11.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_29960" align="alignleft" width="126"]Warren Jones, PhD Director of Research, Marcus Autism Center Children's Healthcare of Atlanta CHOA Distinguished Chair in Autism Asst. Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 30329 Dr. Warren Jones[/caption] Warren Jones, PhD Director of Research, Marcus Autism Center Children's Healthcare of Atlanta CHOA Distinguished Chair in Autism Asst. Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 30329 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: These results help clarify an important and longstanding question in autism: why do children with autism look less at other people’s eyes? Two ideas for reduced eye contact in autism have been proposed: - One idea is that children with autism avoid eye contact because they find it stressful and negative. - The other idea is that children with autism look less at other people’s eyes because the social cues from the eyes are not perceived as particularly meaningful or important. This study is important because each idea reflects a very different understanding of what autism is. And maybe even more importantly, each idea reflects a very different view about the right treatment approach to autism and to reduced eye contact in autism. To answer this question, we used eye-tracking technology to study how 86 children with and without autism paid attention to other people’s eyes. Children were tested when they were just two years old, at their time of initial diagnosis.
Author Interviews, Emory, Exercise - Fitness, Geriatrics, Heart Disease, Lifestyle & Health / 18.11.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_29745" align="alignleft" width="150"]Vasiliki Georgiopoulou MD MPH PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Emory University School of Medicine Dr. Vasiliki Georgiopoulou[/caption] Vasiliki Georgiopoulou MD MPH PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Emory University School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Although existing evidence suggests that more exercise capacity is associated with lower risk of CV disease and death, we don’t know whether more exercise capacity would lead to lower risk for heart failure also. This would be especially important for older adults, who are the group with the highest risk to develop heart failure. We used the data of a cohort study to test this association. The exercise capacity was evaluated by a walking test that is easy to perform – the long-distance corridor walk test. We observed that older adults who were able to complete the test had the lowest risk to develop heart failure and the lowest mortality rates, when compared with those who were not able to complete the test and those who could not do the test for medical reasons. We also observed that changes in exercise capacity 4 years later did not predict subsequent heart failure or mortality – perhaps because less fit older patients had already developed heart failure or had died.
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Emory / 27.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_29223" align="alignleft" width="149"]Elizabeth Walker, PhD, MPH, MAT Research Assistant Professor Assistant Director of Evidence-based Learning Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Dr. Elizabeth Walker[/caption] Elizabeth Walker, PhD, MPH, MAT Research Assistant Professor Assistant Director of Evidence-based Learning Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Rollins School of Public Health Emory University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Previous research has shown that many adults in the United States have one or more chronic health condition; however, not much was known about multimorbidities – having multiple chronic conditions – among people with mental disorders. We used nationally representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to determine the patterns of co-occurrence of mental illness, substance abuse and/or dependence, and chronic medical conditions. We also examined the association between the cumulative burden of these conditions, as well as living in poverty, and self-rated health.
Author Interviews, CDC, Emory, Opiods / 15.09.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27960" align="alignleft" width="180"]Curtis Florence, PhD National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and Assistant professor, Department of Health Policy Management Rollins School of Public Health at Emory Curtis Florence, PhD[/caption] Curtis Florence, PhD National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and Assistant professor, Department of Health Policy Management Rollins School of Public Health Emory MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response:
  • This study presents most recent CDC estimates of the economic burden of prescription opioid abuse, dependence and overdose in the United States.
  • In 2013, over 16,000 persons died of prescription opioid overdoses, and almost 2 million people met the diagnostic criteria for abuse and/or dependence.
Author Interviews, Emory, Gender Differences, Heart Disease, Stem Cells / 07.09.2016

[caption id="attachment_27692" align="alignleft" width="125"]MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arshed A. Quyyumi MD; FRCP Dr. Arshed Auyyumi[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arshed A. Quyyumi MD; FRCP Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology Emory University School of Medicine Co-Director, Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute Atlanta GA 30322 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Circulating progenitor or stem cells were discovered in adults 15 years ago. We now know that they may be stimulated by injury or ischemia, and they go down in number and function with aging, particularly when aging is associated with risk factors. Women with chest pain despite normal coronary arteries are thought to have ischemia because of microvascular dysfunction. We found that these women, with the worst microvascular function (measured as coronary flow reserve), had higher levels of circulating stem or progenitor cells. This implies that the mild ischemia they are having during their normal daily life, leads to stimulation of their stem cells. Also, the vascular abnormality may be a stimulus for repair.
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Emory, Heart Disease / 25.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27344" align="alignleft" width="133"]Alvaro Alonso, MD, PhD Associate Professor Department of Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Atlanta, GA Dr. Alvaro Alonso[/caption] Alvaro Alonso, MD, PhD Associate Professor Department of Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Atlanta, GA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major public health problem. Each year, 300,000-400,000 Americans experience SCD and, in more than half of these cases, sudden cardiac death is the first manifestation of heart disease. To date, however, we lack effective strategies to identify those at higher risk of developing sudden cardiac death so targeted preventive strategies can be applied. In this study, we develop and validate the first model for the prediction of SCD in ~18,000 adults without a prior history of cardiovascular disease. We show that information on demographic variables (age, sex, race), some traditional cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, HDL cholesterol) as well as some factors more specifically related to SCD causes (electrocardiogram QT interval) and novel biomarkers (albumin, potassium in blood, kidney function) can be leveraged to predict risk of SCD and identify individuals more likely to suffer this event.
Author Interviews, Emory, Heart Disease, JAMA / 06.08.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_26683" align="alignleft" width="133"]Dr. Amit J. Shah MD MSCR Research Assistant Professor Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Adjunct appointment in Medicine (Cardiology) Atlanta VA Medical Center Dr. Amit Shah[/caption] Dr. Amit J. Shah MD MSCR Research Assistant Professor Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Adjunct appointment in Medicine (Cardiology) Atlanta VA Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Nearly ½ of sudden cardiac deaths occur in individuals who were not aware that they had heart disease; this increases the need for primary prevention. We studied whether the electrocardiogram could be a useful tool in helping to measure risk of cardiovascular disease in approximately 10,000 community-based adults aged 40-74 with a simple risk equation that is based on age, sex, and 3 numbers from the ECG: heart rate, T-axis, and QT interval. We found that such an equation estimates risk as well as the Framingham risk equation, which is the standard of care (based on traditional risk factors like smoking and diabetes). When combining both the Framingham and ECG risk assessments together, the accuracy improved significantly, with a net 25% improvement in the risk classification of cardiovascular death compared to using the Framingham equation alone.
Author Interviews, Emory, PAD, Pharmacology / 15.05.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_24373" align="alignleft" width="120"]Shipra Arya MD, SM Assistant Professor, Division of Vascular Surgery Emory University School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Adjunct) Rollins School of Public Health Staff Physician, Atlanta VA Medical Center Director, AVAMC Vascular Lab and Endovascular Therapy Dr. Shipra Arya[/caption] Shipra Arya MD, SM Assistant Professor, Division of Vascular Surgery Emory University School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Adjunct) Rollins School of Public Health Staff Physician, Atlanta VA Medical Center Director, AVAMC Vascular Lab and Endovascular Therapy  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Arya: Peripheral Arterial Disease is the next cardiovascular epidemic. It is poorly recognized and not adequately treated compared to heart disease – and research is lacking on the optimal use of statins for PAD patients. Very few randomized clinical trials have been done specifically in PAD patients to assess the impact of statins on cardiovascular outcomes and none on limb related outcomes. The 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines for cholesterol lowering medications recommends high intensity statins for PAD patients extrapolated from the level 2 and 3 evidence and empirically based on CAD and stroke data. In this study we looked at the amputation and mortality risk based on statin dosage in a large cohort of patients from the VA population and found that high intensity statins are associated with a significant reduction in limb loss (~30%) and mortality (~25%) in PAD patients followed by a smaller risk reduction [~23% for amputation risk reduction and 20% reduction in mortality risk] by low-moderate intensity statins as compared to no statin therapy.
Author Interviews, Emory, HIV / 01.03.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_22226" align="alignleft" width="202"]Dr. Igho Ofotokun MD MSc Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia Grady Healthcare System, Atlanta, Georgia Dr. Igho Ofotukun[/caption] Dr. Igho Ofotokun MD MSc Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia Grady Healthcare System, Atlanta, Georgia MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Ofotokun:  This work is focused on preventing further bone loss in HIV-infected patients and thus reducing the risk of future bone fractures. HIV infection is associated with a state of enhanced bone loss. HIV treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) further worsens rather than improve bone loss. Almost all HAART regimens that have been examined have been associated with bone loss. The consequence of this skeletal assualt is markedly elevated fracture prevalence among individuals living with HIV across a wide age range. It turns that the predominance of HAART associated bone loss occur within the first year of initiating therapy. In this study, we administered a single dose of 5 mg IV zoledronic acid, a long-acting bisphosphonate at the same time of HAART initiation to prevent HAART associated bone loss. At this dose, zoledronic acid prevented enhance bone resorption in all participants and completely blunted bone mineral density loss over the 48 weeks study follow up period.
Author Interviews, Emory, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Social Issues / 22.12.2015

[caption id="attachment_20244" align="alignleft" width="200"]Abigail Sewell PhD Assistant Professor of Sociology Emory University Dr. Abigail Sewell[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Abigail Sewell PhD Assistant Professor of Sociology Emory University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Sewell: Ethnoracial minorities report poorer quality of care than do whites. However, one key dimension of health care quality - trust in one's personal physician - indicates mixed associations with race. This study examines five dimensions of the patient-physician relationship independently of each other to identify the aspects of health care where minorities feel most alienated from their doctors. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Sewell: The results of the study show that Blacks and Latinos are less likely to believe that their doctors really care about them as a person than are Whites.
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Emory, Infections, Pharmacology / 17.12.2015

[caption id="attachment_20151" align="alignleft" width="150"]Carlos del Rio, MD Chair, HIV Medicine Association Department of Medicine Hubert Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases Emory University School of Medicine Dr. Carlos del Rio[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview Questions Carlos del Rio, MD Chair, HIV Medicine Association Department of Medicine Hubert Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases Emory University School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com Editor's note:  Dr. Carlos del Rio discusses the statement from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) regarding the news that Express Scripts is taking steps to improve access to obtaining pyrimethamine for patients with toxoplasmosis. Medical Research: What is the background for this Express Scripts announcement? Dr. del Rio: The HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America initially heard from our members (ID and HIV clinicians) in August about the 5000% price increase in Daraprim® (from $13.50 to $750 per tablet) following Turing Pharmaceuticals’ acquisition of the rights to distribute Daraprim® from Impax Laboratories, Inc.[1] ID and HIV clinicians told us they had been having difficulties obtaining pyrimethamine since earlier in the summer when Impax implemented a controlled distribution system making the drug available only through Walgreen’s Specialty Pharmacy. Despite HIVMA, IDSA and others urging Turing to reverse the price hike, no action was taken and providers continued to report the scarcity of the drug due to the cost and issues with the distribution system. [2] Due to these ongoing challenges, HIVMA and IDSA thought it was important to provide information to our members and other providers regarding the new lower cost option so they could evaluate this option in consultation with their patients. Initially Turing agreed to reconsider the price increase and to lower it; however, on Nov. 24th Turing announced that they would not lower the list price of Daraprim but instead planned to offer discounts of up to 50% to some hospitals. [3] The announcement reinforced the urgent need for affordable treatment options and failed to address that a majority of the eight to twelve month treatment course occurs on an outpatient basis.
Author Interviews, Emory, Flu - Influenza, Vaccine Studies / 02.11.2015

[caption id="attachment_18978" align="alignleft" width="142"]Saad Omer MBBS MPH PhD Associate Professor Emory Vaccine Center Associate Professor Global Health and Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Dr. Saad Omer[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Saad Omer MBBS MPH PhD Associate Professor Emory Vaccine Center Associate Professor Global Health and Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University MedicalResearch: Can you give us a little background on this study? Dr. Omer: My background is in global health, epidemiology and pediatrics and I have been fortunate to conduct field and clinical vaccine trials in a number of countries and with multiple infectious diseases including influenza, polio, measles and pneumococcal vaccines. We were familiar with the data on investigating the potential effects of statins on other infections i.e. sepsis and community acquire pneumonia including Dr. Vandermeer’s study in 2012 suggesting that “statin use may be associated with reduced mortality in patients hospitalized with influenza”. Statins have lipid-lowering effects but they also exhibit anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. For lack of a better image, I think of statins as acting like a ‘big hammer made of Jell-O’: they have a broad, small dampening effect on immune response (as opposed to a narrow or deep effect).
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Emory, JAMA, Sexual Health / 23.08.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Howa Yeung, MD PGY3, Emory Dermatology Emory University Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Yeung: Indoor tanning is a well-established and preventable cause for melanomas and non-melanoma skin cancers. Public health efforts in curbing indoor tanning have focused on known high-risk populations, such as young, college-aged, White women. However, other demographic risk factors for indoor tanning remain unknown. As our nation increasingly focuses on addressing and improving the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, more and more evidence demonstrates that various LGBT subpopulations face higher rates of cancer-related behavior risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol use, obesity, etc. We wanted to find out whether risk factors for skin cancer, such as indoor tanning, disproportionately affected LGBT populations. Our study showed higher rates of indoor tanning among gay and bisexual men, with 1.8-fold and 3.6-fold higher odds of tanning bed use within the past year, compared to straight men, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Disparities in frequent tanning, defined as using tanning bed 10 or more times within the past year, are even more prominent among gay and bisexual men. In contrast, no significant sexual orientation disparities were noted among women after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.
Author Interviews, Emory, JAMA, Kidney Disease / 11.08.2015

Rachel Patzer, PhD, MPH Director of Health Services Research, Emory Transplant Center Assistant Professor Department of Surgery Division of Transplantation Emory University School of MedicineMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rachel Patzer, PhD, MPH Director of Health Services Research, Emory Transplant Center Assistant Professor Department of Surgery Division of Transplantation Emory University School of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Patzer: There are two main treatments for patients with end stage kidney disease: dialysis or kidney transplantation.  Kidney transplantation offers the best survival and quality of life compared to dialysis.  However, there is a limited supply of organs in the U.S., so not all patients with end stage organ failure get a kidney transplant. Certain regions of the country have lower access to kidney transplantation than other regions.  The Southeastern United States (GA, NC, and SC) has the lowest rates of kidney transplantation in the nation, and Georgia (GA) is the state that ranks at the very bottom. Our research team and collaborators from the Southeastern Kidney Transplant Coalition sought to examine some of the reasons for why Georgia had the lowest rates of kidney transplantation in the nation.  The transplant centers in our Coalition collaborated to share data on patient referrals from dialysis facilities, where the majority of end stage renal disease patients receive treatment, to transplant centers in Georgia. Referral from a dialysis facility to a transplant center is required for patients to undergo the extensive medical evaluation that is required for a patient to either be placed on the national deceased donor waiting list, or to receive a living donor kidney transplant (e.g. from a friend or family member). There were several major findings: 1)    That overall, referral of patients from a dialysis facility to a kidney transplant center is low (only about 28% of patients with kidney failure are referred to a transplant center within a year of starting dialysis). 2)    There was much variation in referral for transplantation across dialysis facilities in GA, where some facilities referred no patients within a year, and others referred up to 75% of their patient population.
Author Interviews, Emory, Flu - Influenza, PLoS / 23.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Brooke Bozick Ph.D. Candidate Population Biology, Ecology, & Evolution Program Emory University MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? Response: Previous research at the global scale has shown that air travel is important for the spread of disease. For example, much work has focused on the recent Ebola epidemic in Africa, identifying where this disease emerged and then using air travel networks to predict the path of spread from there. At a more local scale, other modes of transportation may be more important to structuring pathogen populations. We were interested in investigating seasonal influenza in the United States. Previous research has shown that once the winter influenza epidemic starts, it spreads very rapidly across the continental states, suggesting that the US may act as one large, well-mixed population. Previous work using genetic data to look for spatial structure at this scale didn’t identify any patterns. However, these studies used geographic proximity to define the distance between states; we wanted to see whether similar patterns existed at this spatial scale if we instead used movement data as a proxy for the distance between locations. Commuter movements have previously been shown to correlate with influenza timing and spread based on influenza-like-illness and mortality data. MedicalResearch: What are the main findings? Response: We found that spatial structure is detectable within the US. We used data on the genetic distance between sequences collected from different states and compared that to different measures of ‘distance’ between states—geographic proximity, the daily number of people flying between states and the daily number of commuters traveling between states using ground transportation—to see whether any correlations were present. Further, we did this for two different subtypes of seasonal influenza: A/H3N2 and A/H1N1. These subtypes have different epidemiological properties, so there was reason to believe that the observed patterns might differ depending on subtype. We found that some correlations were present for all the distance metrics studied, but that they were observed a greater proportion of the time when looking at commuter movements, and when looking at the A/H1N1 subtype. Since A/H1N1 is generally milder and spreads more slowly throughout the US compared to A/H3N2, we interpret this to mean that spatial structure is likely more easily detected in this subtype. If A/H3N2 spreads rapidly from coast to coast, any signature of spatial structure is likely obscured before we have a chance to observe it.
Author Interviews, Compliance, Emory, Heart Disease / 04.05.2015

Andre Paixao, MD Division of Cardiology Emory University Atlanta, GA, 30322.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Andre Paixao, MD Division of Cardiology Emory University Atlanta, GA, 30322. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Paixao: Despite advances in cardiovascular prevention, coronary heart disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Understanding risk factor burden and control as well as perceived risk prior to acute myocardial infarction (MI) presentation may identify opportunities for system-based interventions to promote adherence to evidence based recommendations and improve overall cardiovascular health. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Paixao: Our study assessed predicted risk and risk factor control prior to Myocardial Infarction (MI) presentation in 443,117 patients included in the NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG. Only 36.1% of patients met all assessed risk factor control metrics (i.e. LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, nonsmoking status and aspirin use among those with prior cardiovascular disease). Risk factor control was suboptimal in the primary and secondary prevention groups. Prior cardiovascular disease was present in 41.6% of patients presenting with an acute MI. Among those without prior cardiovascular disease or diabetes, only 13.4% were classified as high risk based on the Framingham Risk Score.
Author Interviews, Autism, Education, Emory, JAMA, Pediatrics / 22.04.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lawrence Scahill, MSN, PhD and Karen Bearss, PhD Department of Pediatrics, Marcus Autism Center Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University Atlanta, Georgia Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects an estimated 0.6 to 1% of children worldwide. In young children with ASD (e.g. 3 to 7 years of age) up to 50% also have disruptive behaviors such as tantrums, aggression, self-injury and noncompliance. When present, these disruptive behaviors interfere with the child’s readiness to make use of educational and other supportive services. The presence of disruptive behaviors also hinders the acquisition of routine daily living skills. Parent Training has been shown to be effective for young children with disruptive behaviors who do not have Autism spectrum disorder – but it has not be well-studied in children with ASD. The current multisite study shows that parent training is effective in reducing serious behavioral problems in young children with ASD. This is the largest randomized trial of a behavioral intervention in children with ASD.  180 children were randomly assigned to parent training or parent education. Both treatments were delivered individually to parents over 24 weeks. Serious behavioral problems were reduced by almost 50% in the parent-training group compared to about 30% for parent education. A clinician who was blind to treatment assignment rated positive response in 69% of children in the parent training group compared to 40% for parent education. In addition, 79% of children who showed a positive response to parent training at the end of the 24-week trial maintained benefit at 6 months post treatment. Parent training provided parents with specific strategies on how to manage tantrums, aggression, self-injury and noncompliance in children with autism spectrum disorder. Parent education provided up-to-date and useful information about ASD, but no instruction on how to address behavioral problems. Parents were engaged in the study treatments as evidenced by the low drop-out rate of 10% .
Author Interviews, Emory, Neurological Disorders / 15.04.2015

Erwin G. Van Meir, PhD Professor, Departments of Neurosurgery and Hematology & Medical Oncology Leader, Winship Cancer Institute Cancer Cell Biology Program Founding Director, Graduate Program in Cancer Biology Director, Laboratory for Molecular Neuro-Oncology Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta GA 30322MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Erwin G. Van Meir, PhD Professor, Departments of Neurosurgery and Hematology & Medical Oncology Leader, Winship Cancer Institute Cancer Cell Biology Program Founding Director, Graduate Program in Cancer Biology Director, Laboratory for Molecular Neuro-Oncology Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta GA 30322 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Van Meir: In this study we queried the role of the BAI1 protein in normal physiology. To do this we generated a transgenic mouse, which lacks the expression of the Bai1 gene. The mice had no obvious anomalies and reproduced according to mendelian rules. Since BAI1 is strongly expressed in the brain, including in neurons, we wondered whether they might have some cognitive defect that would only be revealed under specific testing conditions. We had the mice perform in an experiment that tests their ability to orient themselves in space and memorize the location of a hidden platform in a water maze. This experiment clearly demonstrated that the Bai1 deficient mice had deficits in spatial learning and memory. We then further probed the electrophysiological, anatomical and biochemical basis of this abnormal physiologic behavior and showed that hippocampal neurons had abnormal synaptic plasticity, reduced thickness of the post synaptic density and that this was associated with an increased degradation of a key PSD protein called PSD-95.
Author Interviews, CDC, Emory, OBGYNE, Social Issues / 13.03.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Elizabeth Burns, MPH Rollins School of Public Health Emory University MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Epidemiologic studies suggest that prenatal stress is associated with preterm birth, low birth weight and peripartum anxiety and depressive symptoms. The most recent population-based study on the prevalence of stress among pregnant women, which used data from 1990-1995, reported that 64% of women experience stressful life events (SLEs) in the year before their infant’s birth. More recent estimates of prevalence and trends of prenatal stressful life events are useful for clinicians in order to understand the risk profile of their patients. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) collects self-reported information on maternal experiences and behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy among women who delivered a live infant. PRAMS includes 13 questions about maternal SLEs experienced in the year preceding the birth of the child. Based on previous research, SLEs were grouped into four dichotomous constructs: 1) emotional stressors (family member was ill and hospitalized or someone very close died); 2) financial stressors (moved to a new address, lost job, partner lost job, or unable to pay bills); 3) partner-associated stressors (separated/divorced, argued more than usual with partner/husband, or husband/partner said he did not want pregnancy); and 4) traumatic stressors (homeless, involved in a physical fight, partner or self-went to jail, or someone very close had a problem with drinking or drugs). The prevalence of self-reported stressful life events decreased modestly but significantly during 2000–2010. Despite this, 70.2% of women reported ≥1 SLEs in 2010. Prevalence of stressful life events vary by state and maternal demographic characteristics and are especially prevalent among younger women, women with ≤12 years of education (75.6%), unmarried women (79.6%), and women that were covered by Medicaid for prenatal care or delivery of their child (78.7%).
Author Interviews, Emory, Frailty, Surgical Research / 02.03.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Louis M. Revenig, MD and Kenneth Ogan MD, Department of Urology Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 30322 MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Numerous groups from a variety of institutions have investigated different methods of quantifying frailty in surgical populations. All have shown that frailty not only can be measured, but more importantly, reliably identifies the patients who are at higher risk for poor postoperative outcomes compared to their peers.  One obstacle to more widespread use of frailty assessments is the extra burden it places on an already busy clinical setting. In our study we chose what we thought was the already simplest and most clinically applicable frailty assessment, the 5-component Fried Frailty Criteria, and prospectively enrolled a large cohort of surgical patients and followed their outcomes. We critically analyzed the data to assess which components of the frailty assessment were most important. Our results showed that of the 5 components (weight loss, grip strength, gait speed, exhaustion, and activity level), weight loss and grip strength alone carried the same prognostic information for post-operative outcomes as the full assessment. Additionally, when combined with two already routinely collected pre-operative variables (serum hemoglobin and ASA score) we created a novel, simple, and easy to use risk stratification system that is more amenable to a busy clinical setting.
Author Interviews, Connective Tissue Disease, Emory, Kidney Disease, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 20.02.2015

Laura Plantinga, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA 30322MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Laura Plantinga, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA 30322 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Plantinga: Quality of care for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which is treated with dialysis or kidney transplantation, is a high priority for the U.S. healthcare system, given universal coverage of these services. However, quality of ESRD care remains relatively unexplored in lupus patients, who have multiple providers and may have greater access to care. We found that, overall, nearly three-quarters of U.S. ESRD patients with lupus had pre-ESRD nephrology care and about 20% of lupus patients on dialysis were waitlisted for kidney transplant per year; however, fewer than one-quarter of those who started on dialysis had a permanent vascular access in place, which is associated with better outcomes than a temporary catheter. Furthermore, patients who were black or Hispanic were nearly a third less likely to have pre-ESRD care and were also less likely to be placed on the kidney transplant waitlist in the first year of dialysis than white patients. Having Medicaid or no insurance at the start of ESRD were both associated with lower likelihood of quality ESRD care by all measures, despite universal Medicare coverage after the start of ESRD. While there was geographic variation in quality of ESRD care, patterns were not consistent across quality measures.
Author Interviews, Emory, NEJM / 22.01.2015

Ravi Mangal Patel, MD MSc Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology Emory University School of MedicineMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ravi Mangal Patel, MD MSc Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology Emory University School of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: We sought to understand the major causes of death and when these deaths occur among extremely premature infants (those born at 22 0/7 to 28 6/7 weeks of gestation). We evaluated a cohort of 22,248 extremely premature infants born at hospitals that were part of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network, a research network comprised of academic medical centers across the United States. We evaluated changes over time in survival by comparing in-hospital deaths among live births during three periods from 2000 to 2011.