Author Interviews, Immunotherapy, Lymphoma, NYU / 11.12.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Catherine S. M. Diefenbach MD Assistant Professor of Medicine NYU Langone Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center New York, NY 10016  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Diefenbach: The background of the study is that through an understanding of the unique immunobiology of Hodgkin lymphoma we can derive rational treatment strategies which may heighten the efficacy of existing therapies, and improve the outcomes for patients with relapsed disease.  In E4412 which is a national study sponsored by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG-ACRIN) we explore the safety and efficacy of combination of the antibody drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin which targets CD30 on the surface of the Hodgkin lymphoma tumor cells, and immune stimulation of the T cells in the tumor microenvironment using checkpoint inhibitors.  We reported the data from the first arm of the study Brentuximab Vedotin and Ipilimumab.  To date 23 patients with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma have been treated; the combination of brentuximab and ipilimumab was safe and well tolerated with primarily grade 1 and 2 toxicities.  In 18 patients evaluable for response the ORR was 72% with a complete response rate of 50%. (more…)
Author Interviews, NYU, Tobacco, Tobacco Research / 11.12.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael L. Weitzman MD Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine NYU Langone Medical Center. Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Weitzman: While the prevalence of cigarette smoking in the United States has recently seen a steady decline, more and more individuals report hookah (water pipe) usage. Researchers have shown that web queries for ‘hookah’ and ‘hookah bars’ have increased dramatically, but it is unclear whether this interest has led to an increase in the number of hookah bars in a given area.  We first tested the website Yelp.com to see whether it could reliably provide us with information – such as the date of establishment of a hookah bar – by comparing the date of the first review written on Yelp.com with the actual opening date. We found that, for 2014 onwards, the first review posting on Yelp.com, on average, occurred within the first month of a hookah bar’s opening date. Additionally, we found a dramatic increase in the number of hookah bars in New York City over the past 5 years. These hookah bars tend to be not randomly distributed, but instead clustered near universities and specific ethnic neighborhoods. (more…)
Author Interviews, NYU, Surgical Research, Transplantation / 16.11.2015

Patrick Hardison was severely injured in September 2001 in Mississippi, while attempting to rescue a woman in a burning home. He had dozens of surgeries as he continued to try to work and care for his five children. These surgeries grafted skin from his legs onto his entire scalp and face. Mr. Hardison was referred to Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, of NYU Langone Medical Center for consideration of facial transplantation. Three months August 14, 2015 ago Dr. Rodriguez were able to give Patrick a new face, scalp, ears and ear canals, new eyelids and the muscles that control blinking.   (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, NYU / 11.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arielle Nagler MD Instructor, Department of Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: What are some of the best ways to keep our skin healthy? Dr. Nagler: Sun protection is the single, most important step you can take to keep your skin healthy. Sun protection can help to prevent many of the signs of aging including wrinkles, changes in skin texture, and uneven pigmentation. Also sun protection has been shown to prevent certain types of skin cancer, which may save you from the distress and scarring of treatment. While we should all be careful in the sun, sun protection doesn’t mean that you have to avoid all outdoor activities and deprive yourself of outdoor fun. If you have any issues with your skin, or want more information, you might want to look into someone like this Ava MD cosmetic dermatologist or dermatologist local to you. However, you can take steps to protect your skin. Here are a couple of tips:
  • Limit activities that require noon time sun exposure.
  • Wear sunscreen with broad UV coverage (including UVA and UVB). Physical blockers such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are ideal.
  • Buy a stylish wide brimmed hat.
  • There is an enlarging retail space for UV protective clothing. Check them out!
Follow these simple tips and your skin will thank you later. Medical Research: How can dry skin be managed at home? Dr. Nagler: As we enter into winter and the air gets cold and dry, more people will be suffering from dry skin or “xerosis.” Although warm showers are a pleasant treat during the winter, they actually can make your dry skin worse. Ideally, when your skin is dry, you should aim to take short, luke-warm showers. Frequent moisturizing is also extremely important, particularly immediately after a shower. Moisturizers without fragrances are the most well-tolerated. Thick moisturizers that are packaged in tubs and tubes are often more hydrating than lotions in pumps, which tend to be water based. Additionally, some people find humidifiers to be helpful. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Education, NYU, Radiology / 06.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jiyon Lee, M.D. Assistant Professor of Radiology, NYU School of Medicine NYU Cancer Institute, Breast Imaging Center New York, New York 10016 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Lee:   Even before the USPSTF changed their breast screening guidelines in 2009, I conducted community outreach to help educate others on my area of expertise, breast imaging and breast screening. I presented lay friendly, illustrated, and practical explanations in a structured talk, about the big picture and the salient details, in a way that I would want if I were not a breast radiologist. As is customary for such community outreach, we solicited feedback from attendees. It was gratifying to hear the positive responses. That they wished for such education for others served as a clarion call that is understandable. Education should be objective and noncoercive.  “Knowledge is power,” but only if complete and accurate. Breast cancer is still a common disease, we are all at least at average risk, and screening is still standard of care.  Much of the debate surrounding screening mammography centers on the age of onset of screening and the optimal screening interval. The USPSTF states that shared-decision making between women and their providers may occur, especially for women in 40-49 year group.  But the TF does not stipulate when or how or by whom this talk will ensue, and notice that their guidelines refer to film mammography, and “biennial” mammography. Since the time of this manuscript, the American Cancer Society issued new guidelines on 10/20/2015 that among its bullet points emphasized annual mammography for women 45-54 years and deemphasized clinical breast exam, while supporting option to start annually at age 40 with shared decision making to weigh what are referred to as “risks” and benefits. Although the fine print does reaffirm that annually starting at age 40 is the screening model that saves the most lives, the ACS is encouraging deliberate value judgment regarding “risks” and “harms.” Their fine print is also intimating that women 55 and over have nondense tissue and that their cancers are indolent. The ensued publicity and mixed messaging have caused another cycle of confusion regarding breast cancer screening. As the experts in this field of image-based screening, radiologists have opportunity to clarify and contextualize the issues and details of the screening discussion, and can do so with objectivity, respect for all sides of the debate, and compassion. All responsible ways to continually educate both women and all providers will enable both sides to engage in the discussion fairly. Because as we discourage paternalistic medicine and promote shared decision making, it’s not fair play if all responsible sides do not get fair say. Do realize that not all women see providers regularly, and depending on the medical subspeciality, not all providers are mentioning screening til women reach a certain age and may not relay importance of the physical exam components that complement imaging. This article specifically highlights how such direct and interactive public education can effect potential benefit in two ways.
  • First, directly reduce one of the core criticisms about screening: the “anxiety” that women may experience, which is heavily weighed as a “harm” of screening.  Most women do not experience high anxiety, and are glad to have a test that may help them. And education can help demystify much of the process and protocol, and explain up to what may be that patient’s next test results if she engages in screening at all. No one can tell that.
  • Two, education can directly increase one of the necessary components of shared decision making that is presumed in implementing breast screening: informing women. The pre- and post-lecture questionnaire, along with fact-based quiz questions, provided insight and enabled learning opportunity for the audience that are not usual for community outreach.  Education that keeps on going—and is shareable!-- after the lecture is done.
(more…)
Author Interviews, NYU, Technology / 05.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dustin T. Duncan, ScD Assistant Professor Department of Population Health and Dr. Paul Krebs PhD Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health New York University School of Medicine  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr.  Krebs: Everyone seems to be talking about health apps, but there was no quality research on what was actually happening in the US with regard to these apps. Knowing why people use and don’t use health-related apps is critical for advancing this area of healthcare. In terms of main findings, we found that a little over half of Americans are using a health-related app, primarily in the domains of fitness and nutrition. We also found greater use among minority populations, younger persons, among people who were obese, and those with higher incomes. Surprisingly we found that about 40% of people would not pay anything for a health app. Hidden costs and difficulty of data entry were main reasons people stopped using them. Dr. Duncan: Little is know about health app use, which was surprising to us—especially because many people have smartphones so downloading a health app can easy. We wanted to understand the landscape of health app use and patterns in the US to ultimately improve the population’s health. (more…)
Author Interviews, NYU, Weight Research / 03.11.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Brian Elbel, PhD MPH Associate professor, Department of Population Health NYU Langone Medical Center and at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Elbel: Since New York City implemented in 2008 its mandatory calorie counts in all chain restaurants, including in fast-food eateries, public health officials and the general public have wondered what impact it’s having on curbing the obesity epidemic gripping the nation and the city. An estimated third of adult Americans are obese (with a body mass index of 30 or more), and that number is expected to rise to 42 percent by 2030, among the highest of any country in the developed world. Our study looks at the effects of so-called calorie counts some six years out from when the law took effect. Between 2013 and 2014, a team of NYU Langone researchers analyzed the receipts of some 7,699 diners at fast-food restaurants in NYC and in nearby NJ cities to see if the menu labels reduced the overall number of calories that consumers of fast food order and presumably eat. Our research team compared calories consumed at fast-food eateries with and without calorie labels. Researchers found that the average number of calories bought by patrons at each sitting between 2013 and 2014 was statistically the same as those in a similar survey we conducted in 1,068 fast-food diners in 2008, when New York City initially imposed menu labeling. Diners were surveyed at major fast-food chains: McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and Wendy’s. Calorie counts in the 2013-2014 analysis averaged between 804 and 839 per meal at menu-labeled restaurants, and between 802 and 857 per meal at non-labeled eateries; whereas, they averaged 783 per meal for labeled restaurants and 756 per meal for non-labeled restaurants shortly after the policy was introduced. For the surveys, diners entering the fast-food restaurant were asked to return their itemized receipt to research assistants and answer some follow-up questions in person in exchange for two dollars. Our study suggests that menu labeling, in particular at fast-food restaurants, will not on its own lead to any lasting reductions in calories consumed. (more…)
Antibiotic Resistance, Author Interviews, Dermatology, NYU, Pharmacology / 30.10.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arielle Nagler MD Instructor, Department of Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study of acne patient who eventually require isotretinoin? Dr. Nagler: Isotretinoin is a highly effective medication for the treatment of severe acne. In fact, it is the only medication that has been shown to provide patients with a durable cure for acne. However, its use is limited by its known teratogenicity as well as controversies regarding its relationship with psychiatric disturbances and inflammatory bowel disease. For many patients, systemic antibiotics provide an effective treatment for inflammatory acne. However, antibiotics do not provide the long term clearance that isotretinoin provides. Moreover, antibiotics are getting increasing attention due to fears of emerging bacterial resistance. There has been a recent emphasis on limiting antibiotic use in acne. As a result, this study sought to understand antibiotic use patterns amongst patients who eventually received isotretinoin.  (more…)
Author Interviews, Nature, NYU, Weight Research / 28.10.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Margaret E. Rice, PhD Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology Neurosurgery NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Rice: Insulin is released from the pancreas into the bloodstream in response to a rise in circulating glucose levels when we eat. In most cells in the body, including those of liver and muscle, insulin acts at insulin receptors to promote glucose transport and other metabolic functions. Insulin also enters the brain and acts at brain insulin receptors, particularly in the hypothalamus where insulin acts as a satiety signal to indicate that we are full and should stop eating. The rising incidence of obesity, in which circulating insulin levels are chronically elevated, suggests insulin may play a role in other brain regions, as well, including regions that regulate motivation and reward. Indeed, our new studies introduce a new role for insulin as a reward signal that acts in the dorsal striatum to enhance release of dopamine.  Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in reward systems; most drugs of abuse enhance release of dopamine, which contributes to their addictive properties. We found that insulin, at levels found in the brain by the end of a meal, enhances dopamine release by activating insulin receptors on acetylcholine-containing striatal cells that boost dopamine release. Consistent with a role of insulin in signaling reward, companion behavioral studies in rodents indicate that insulin signaling in the striatum communicates the reward value of an ingested meal, and thereby influences food choices. These studies reveal the dual nature of insulin in the brain, which not only tells us when to stop eating, but also influences what we eat. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, NYU, Surgical Research / 26.10.2015

Mihye Choi, M.D., F.A.C.S. Associate Professor of Surgery NYU Plastic Surgery NYU Langone Medical CenteMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mihye Choi, M.D., F.A.C.S. Associate Professor of Surgery NYU Plastic Surgery NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: Would you tell us a little about yourself and your interests in plastic surgery? Dr. Choi: I wanted to be a surgeon first, then I fell in love with plastic surgery after seeing a cleft lip repair as a medical student.  It was amazing to watch the ingenuity of the design and the skills needed to repair a baby's face.  I felt that it was the highest gift a doctor can bestow, so that a child can go forward with life in confidence and all the promise that life holds.  After finishing plastic surgery training, I developed expertise in breast reconstruction over the years.  I feel breast reconstruction combines the science and art of surgery. (more…)
ADHD, Author Interviews, Mental Health Research, Nature, NYU / 22.10.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael M. Halassa, MD, PhD, Assistant professor Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and Physiology The Neuroscience Institute Depts. of Psychitatry Langone Medical Center New York, NY 10016 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Halassa:  Attention is a vital aspect of our daily life and our minds are not merely a reflection of the outside world, but rather a result of careful selection of inputs that are relevant. In fact, if we indiscriminately open up our senses to what’s out there, we would be totally overwhelmed. Selecting relevant inputs and suppressing distractors is what we call attention, and as humans we are able to attend in a highly intentional manner. Meaning, we choose what to pay attention to, and we do so based on context. If you’re driving and getting directions from your GPS, you’ll be intentionally splitting your attention between your vision and hearing. Now, in one context, you might have just updated the GPS software, so you know it’s reliable; this would allow you to intentionally pay attention more to the voice coming from the GPS. In another context, the GPS software may be outdated making voice instructions unreliable. This context would prompt you to direct your attention more towards using visual navigation cues and less to the GPS voice. How the brain intentionally and dynamically directs attention based context is unknown. The main strength of our study is that we were able to study context-dependent attention in mice. Mice are unique models because they provide genetic tools to study brain circuits. Meaning, we can turn circuits on and off very precisely in the mouse, and in a way we cannot do in other experimental animals. The inability to do these types of manipulations has been the major roadblock for progress in understanding what brain circuits mediate attention and its intentional allocation. Because we couldn’t train mice to drive and listen to the GPS, we decided to do something much simpler. Based on context (the type of background noise in the experimental enclosure), a mouse had to select between conflicting visual and auditory stimuli in order to retrieve a milk reward. Mice love milk; it turns out, and will work tirelessly to do well on getting it. Each trial, the mouse is told ‘you need to pick the light flash’ or ‘you need to pick the auditory sweep’; these stimuli appeared on either side of the mouse randomly so the animal really had to pay attention in order to get its reward. It also had to take the context into account. We found that mice did this task, and as humans would do, they were reliant on the prefrontal cortex for determining the appropriate context. The major finding was that the prefrontal cortex changed the sensitivity of the brain to incoming stimuli (meaning, made the visual stimulus brighter when the mouse cared about vision and made the auditory stimulus louder when the mouse cared about hearing), by influencing activity in the thalamus. The thalamus is the major early relay station in the brain. The prefrontal cortex does that by instructing the brain’s switchboard, known as the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) to control how much visual or auditory information the thalamus was letting through. So in a sense, we discovered that executive function, represented by the prefrontal cortex, can talk to ‘attentional filters’ in the thalamus to determine what ultimately is selected from the outside environment to build our internal world. (more…)
Author Interviews, Medical Imaging, NYU, Surgical Research / 19.10.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Nolan S. Karp, MD  Associate Professor, Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery NYU Langone Medical Research: What is the background for Three-dimensional imaging? Dr. Karp: This was really developed for industry in product engineering.  We and others applied this to medicine. Medical Research: What kind of technology is required? Dr. Karp: This is a fancy picture.  We obtain a 3D surface scan of the person or an object, which corresponds to a digital data set. Medical Research: How does Three-dimensional imaging help the physician and patient plan for better surgical outcomes? Dr. Karp: It lets you simulate the surgery.  For the surgeon, we can plan the surgery better.  For the patient, they can see the expected outcome better, before surgery. (more…)
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, JACC, NYU, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 22.09.2015

Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MS, MPH FACP Professor of Population Health and Medicine Director, Division of Health and Behavior Director, Center for Healthful Behavior Change Vice Dean, NYU College of Global Public Health NYU Langone School of Medicine Department of Population Health New York, NY 10016MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MS, MPH FACP Professor of Population Health and Medicine Director, Division of Health and Behavior Director, Center for Healthful Behavior Change Vice Dean,  NYU College of Global Public Health NYU Langone School of Medicine Department of Population Health New York, NY 10016 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Ogedebge: Evidence from clinical trials have previously indicated that a common blood pressure medication, angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, (when prescribed as first line treatment) may not provide the same benefits in blacks compared to whites. However blacks are grossly underrepresented in these studies, despite the fact they have disproportionately higher rates of hypertension-related morbidity and mortality than whites. Thus, we chose to study this particular question because it allows us to evaluate this evidence in a large population of hypertensive black patients who receive care in a real-world practice setting. This study evaluates racial differences in cardiovascular outcomes and mortality between hypertensive black and white patients whose treatment was initiated with angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, outside of a clinical trial.  ACE inhibitors are one of several classes of drugs commonly prescribed to individuals with hypertension to prevent deaths, heart attack, kidney failure, heart failure and stroke. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JACC, NYU / 08.09.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sripal Bangalore, MD, MHA, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, Director of Research, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Director, Cardiovascular Outcomes Group, The Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, Associate Professor of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016.Dr.Sripal Bangalore MD, MHA, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, Director of Research, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Director, Cardiovascular Outcomes Group, Associate Professor of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, Principal Investigator ISCHEMIA-CKD trial  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Bangalore: Patients with chronic kidney disease are at high risk of coronary artery disease. However, they are also at risk for worsening kidney function from revascularization procedures and have been routinely excluded from clinical trials of stenting vs bypass surgery. In this registry study of over 5900 patients with multivessel coronary artery disease who underwent bypass surgery or stenting using the latest generation drug eluting stent (everolimus eluting stent), we showed that there are trade off between both procedures. With bypass surgery there was increase in the risk of death, myocardial infarction and stroke in the short term (in-hospital/30-days). For PCI, there was long term risk of repeat revascularization and also increase in myocardial infarction in those who achieved incomplete revascularization. (more…)
Author Interviews, NYU, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 02.09.2015

Brian D. Elbel, PhD, MPH Associate professor, Departments of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior and Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine Marie Bragg, PhD Assistant professor Department of Population Health Jonathan Cantor, MS Department of Population Health, Section on Health Choice, Policy and Evaluation NYU Langone Medical Center MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Brian D. Elbel, PhD, MPH Associate professor, Departments of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior and Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine Marie Bragg, PhD Assistant professorDepartment of Population Health Jonathan Cantor, MS Department of Population Health, Section on Health Choice, Policy and Evaluation NYU Langone Medical Center  MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? Response: On July 17th, 2014 the New York City Council proposed the “Healthy Happy Meals” bill in an effort to improve the nutritional value of fast food restaurant meals marketed to children. The bill states a restaurant cannot offer an incentive item (i.e. a toy) in combination with the purchase of a meal unless the meal met several nutritional standards. The meals with toys would be required to:
  • Be less than 500 hundred calories total
  • Be less than 600 milligrams of sodium total
  • Have less than 35% of total calories come from fat
  • Have less than 10% of total calories come from saturated fat
  • Have less than 10% of total calories come from added sugar
  • Contain one half cup of fruit or vegetable or one serving of whole-grain products
This study examined potential reductions in purchased calories, sodium and percentage of calories from fat that could occur among children if the policy were to go into effect. MedicalResearch: What are the main findings? Response: Researchers collected receipts for fast food purchases for 422 children who were accompanied by 358 adults. On average, adults purchased 600 calories for each child, with 36 percent of those calories coming from fat. One third of the children in the sample had a children’s meal, with 98% of the purchased children’s combination meals would be restricted from handing out a toy with the meal if the bill passed. If the bill passed, there would be a 9% reduction in calories purchased for kid’s meals, the equivalent of 54 calories. Similarly, researchers found that there would be a 10% (83 mg) reduction in sodium purchased and a 10% reduction in the percentage of calories from fat purchased for children. This all assumes that children ordered what they did previously but the meals meet the nutrition criteria. (more…)
Author Interviews, Depression, Dermatology, NYU / 26.08.2015

Roger S. Ho, MD, MS, MPH, FAAD Assistant Professor The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology NYU Langone Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Roger S. Ho, MD, MS, MPH, FAAD Assistant Professor The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Ho: In recent years, the impact of psoriasis on quality of life has come to light. We have seen several studies show that patients with psoriasis experience worse quality of life because of their disease. Few studies however have examined the association between psoriasis and mental illness, specifically depression. Many chronic diseases are known to be associated with depression. As more and more evidence supports the relationship between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease, it is important to examine the relationship between psoriasis and depression, while controlling for cardiovascular comorbidity. In our study of a nationally-representative population of US patients, we found that patients with psoriasis had twice the odds of having depression than patients without psoriasis, even after adjusting for major confounders including a history of myocardial infarction, stroke, and diabetes that may independently be associated with depression. The risk of depression did not depend on extent or severity of psoriatic disease. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nature, NYU / 25.08.2015

Robert C. Froemke, PhD, Assistant professor NYU Langone and Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine New York MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Robert C. Froemke, PhD, Assistant professor NYU Langone and Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine New York Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Froemke: We studied how a brain area called the ‘locus coeruleus’ is involved in hearing. The locus coeruleus is the brain’s alarm clock, it’s a small region deep in the brainstem that is responsible for arousal and wakefulness, activated by surprising or potentially dangerous events. The locus coeruleus releases the neurochemical noradrenalin (similar to adrenalin) throughout the brain to greatly increase brain activity, and so might convey the significance of sounds related to past events that were very important or startling in some way (like the sound of an alarm, a baby crying, or other sounds that require immediate attention). We found that sounds related to surprising events can come to directly activate the locus coeruleus, meaning that this brain area can learn from past experience. This learning happens quickly (within seconds to minutes) and can be incredibly long-lasting, up to weeks as measured in our study, and we suspect indefinitely or all life-long. We studied this by training lab rats to respond to sounds, poking their nose in a hole to get a food reward whenever they heard a certain sound. We activated the locus coeruleus briefly in some of these animals, and observed that they were much more sensitive to this sound and learned much faster than other unstimulated animals. We made recordings of electrical activity in the locus coeruleus and the auditory cortex, one of the major ‘hearing’ parts of the brain. In stimulated animals, sounds activated the locus coeruleus within tens of milliseconds, releasing noradrenalin into the auditory cortex to greatly boost the audio processing there- making almost every neuron respond very vigorously to that special sound. (more…)
Author Interviews, Genetic Research, NYU, PLoS / 08.08.2015

Dr. Arthur Caplan Ph.D. Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor Head of the Division of Medical Ethics New York University, Langone Medical Center, NYMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Arthur Caplan Ph.D. Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor Head of the Division of Medical Ethics New York University, Langone Medical Center, NY Medical Research: What is the background of the Down Syndrome Prenatal Education Act? Dr. Caplan: For many years women who  receive a positive prenatal test for Down syndrome have been aborting their pregnancies.  Rates of pregnancy termination, while somewhat disputed, are very high.  In the USA, UK and Denmark they have consistently been over 80% for many years.   This has led some parents of children with Down to wonder if the counseling that women receive is biased negatively against a life with Down. They working with pro life legislators in many states have promoted legislation to insure that mothers carrying an infant with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome have access to positive information and helpful resources about life with a child with Down.  This legislation has been enacted in many states and there is a Federal law as well. Medical Research: How does Chloe's Law impact genetic testing? Dr. Caplan: These laws represent a seismic shift in counseling about genetic disorders and diseases.  Historically counselors aspired to be value-free—simply trying to provide objective information to their patients/clients.  With laws like Chloe’s the public is saying they do not trust the neutrality of counselors and counseling and want more positive messages sent about Down.  This is quite simply an ethical revolution in how counseling for Down will be done in the future.  It is also a direct Challenge to the legitimacy of value-neutrality as a counseling norm that certainly will be extended to other conditions and disabilities where abortion rates are high and where there is the belief that there is unjustified prejudice or bias against disabilities among those working in clinical genetics. (more…)
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, NYU, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 29.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sripal Bangalore, MD, MHA, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI, Director of Research, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Director, Cardiovascular Outcomes Group, The Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, Associate Professor of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016.Sripal Bangalore, MD, MHA, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI Director of Research, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Director, Cardiovascular Outcomes Group, The Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, Associate Professor of Medicine, New York University Langone School of Medicine, Principal Investigator ISCHEMIA-CKD trial

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Bangalore: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) are a common class of antihypertensive agents used for the management of hypertension. In many national and international hypertension guidelines, they are recommended as a first line agent. However, their efficacy and safety in hypertensive Blacks is not known. In an analysis of hypertensive blacks we found that ACEi were consistently inferior to that of calcium channel blockers or thiazide diuretics with a higher risk of cardiovascular events. Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. Bangalore: Although ACEi are recommended as first line agents by national and international guidelines, they likely are not a great choice for hypertensive blacks. In fact few of the guidelines recognize this and recommend calcium channel blockers or diuretics for hypertensive blacks--consistent with the results seen in our study. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, NYU, PTSD / 24.07.2015

Charles R. Marmar, MD The Lucius Littauer Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center and Director of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center at NYU LangonMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Charles R. Marmar, MD The Lucius Littauer Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center and Director of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center at NYU Langone MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Marmar: Approximately 2.7 million men and women served in Vietnam, and, for those who returned, many have suffered for decades from a variety of psychological problems resulting from their experiences and other injuries such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). The 25-year National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study (NVVLS) was a way we could determine at various points in time how veterans were faring emotionally four decades after their service. While the vast majority are resilient, there are still over 270,000 Vietnam veterans who still have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one-third of these veterans have depression. We followed up with veterans who participated in the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) from 1984 to 1988 who were evaluated for PTSD. The NVVRS group represented a probability sample of those who served in Vietnam. Of the 1,839 participants still alive, 1,409 participated in at least one phase of the NVVLS, which involved a health questionnaire, health interview and clinical interview. The results showed that between 4.5 percent and 11.2 percent of male Vietnam veterans and 6.1 and 8.7 percent of the female veterans are currently experiencing some level of PTSD. About 16 percent of veterans in the study reported an increase of more than 20 points on a PTSD symptom scale compared to 7.6 percent who reported a decrease of greater than 20 points. (more…)
Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, NYU / 21.07.2015

Fernando Goni, PhD MS Adjunct associate professor Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neurology NYU School of Medicine NYU Langone Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Fernando Goni, PhD MS Adjunct associate professor Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neurology NYU School of Medicine NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Goni: It has been established that most neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Lewy Body and other dementias, Parkinson's and prion diseases develop and progress along similar paths. In each disease, a particular protein undergoes a change in its shape from a soluble, physiologically functional protein to a protein that has lost the ability to perform its required tasks in the brain, starting off a chain reaction of binding to each other with little control. These aggregates become toxic to brain cells. We raised antibodies in mice against the common beta-sheet structures present in toxic oligomers of many neurodegenerative diseases including amyloid and tau in Alzheimer's; oligomeric forms of prions and oligomerized alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's. From that response, we produced monoclonal antibodies of the same characteristics. At least three of the monoclonals recognize pathological structures in histological samples of human brains from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and GSS (human prionosis). They also recognized in vitro the oligomeric forms particular for each disease. In old animals of a mouse model of Alzheimer's, that already had pathology, the monoclonal antibodies could rescue behavior and reduced significantly the oligomers of Tau and Abeta. (more…)
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, NYU, Pediatrics, Toxin Research / 10.07.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Teresa M. Attina, MD, PhD, MPH and Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP Department of Pediatrics NYU Langone Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Response: Phthalates are environmental chemicals widely used in consumer and personal care products, and often found in plastic to increase flexibility. Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is of particular interest because industrial processes to produce food frequently use plastic products containing DEHP. Because recognition of potential health risks related to DEHP exposure has increased, DEHP is being replaced by di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), two phthalates with similar chemical properties. Specifically, DINP is used in plastic products for food packaging, and DIDP is used in furnishings, cookware, medications, and several other consumer products. These alternatives have not been substantially studied for toxicity in laboratory studies because these studies are not required for regulatory approval: unlike the EU, in the US the current regulatory framework assumes that chemicals are safe until proven toxic. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Response: We examined DINP and DIDP levels in urine samples from children and adolescents (6 to 19 years old) who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2009 and 2012, to assess if these levels were associated with blood pressure measurements. Diet, physical activity, gender, race/ethnicity, income, and other factors that can contribute to increased blood pressure were also included in the analysis. A significant association was found between high blood pressure and DINP/DIDP levels in study participants. This is not a cause-and-effect relationship but it suggests that phthalates may contribute to increased blood pressure. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Connective Tissue Disease, Heart Disease, NYU / 08.07.2015

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, FAHADirector of the Cardiovascular Research Program VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Professor, Depts of Medicine, Cell Biology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and NYU School of Medicine, New York, NYMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, FAHA Director of the Cardiovascular Research Program VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Professor, Depts of Medicine, Cell Biology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Boutjdir: Patients with autoimmune diseases including Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus and other connective tissue diseases who are seropositive for anti-SSA/Ro antibodies may present with corrected QTc prolongation on the surface ECG. This QTc prolongation can be arrhythmogenic and lead to Torsades de Pointes fatal arrhythmia. In our study, we established for the first time an animal model for this autoimmune associated QTc prolongation that is reminiscent of the clinical long QT2 syndrome. We also demonstrated the functional and molecular mechanisms by which the presence of the anti-SSA/Ro antibodies causes QTc prolongation by a direct cross-reactivity and then block of the hERG channel (Human ether-a-go-go-related gene). This hERG channel is responsible for cardiac repolarization and its inhibition causes QTc prolongation. We were able to pinpoint to the target epitope at the extracellular pore forming loop between segment 5 and segment 6 of the hERG channel. (more…)
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, NYU / 25.06.2015

Dr. Bernadette Boden-Albala MPH, DrPH Associate Dean of Program Development NYU’s College of Global Public HealthMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Bernadette Boden-Albala MPH, DrPH Associate Dean of Program Development NYU’s College of Global Public Health Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally and in the US.  The US Food and Drug Administration has approved tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) as treatment for acute ischemic strokes within 3 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.  However, less than 25% of eligible stroke patients arrive to an emergency department (ED) in time to receive treatment with tPA.  Our study, the Stroke Warning Information and Faster Treatment (SWIFT), compares the effect of an interactive intervention (II) with enhanced educational (EE) materials on recurrent stroke arrival times. The II group included in-hospital interactive group sessions consisting of a community placed preparedness PowerPoint presentation; a stroke survivor preparedness narrative video; and the use of role-playing techniques to describe stroke symptoms. Both groups received standardized educational materials focused on being prepared to recognize and react to stroke symptoms plus a medical alert bracelet so medical professionals would recognize them as SWIFT participants. We found that at follow-up, 42 percent of these patients arrived to the emergency room within 3 hours compared to only 28 percent at baseline, a 49 percent increase in the proportion of all patients arriving within three hours of symptom onset. Among Hispanics, there was a 63 percent increase.  While there was no difference in the proportion arriving within 3 hours between intervention groups, the intensive intervention appeared to be more beneficial in those with early recurrent events within the first 30 days. (more…)
Author Interviews, Neurological Disorders, NYU, Opiods, Pain Research, Pharmacology / 25.06.2015

Dr. Mia T. Minen, MD, MPH Director, Headache Services at NYU Langone Medical Center Assistant professor, Department of Neurology MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Mia T. Minen, MD, MPH Director, Headache Services NYU Langone Medical Center Assistant professor, Department of Neurology   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Minen: We conducted a survey on opioid and barbiturate use among patients visiting a headache center to find out which medications they were receiving for treatment. There’s limited evidence that long-term use of these medications can help treat headaches or migraines, and even short-term use in small quantities can cause medication overuse headache. It is important to determine which providers start these medications so that educational interventions can be tailored to these physician specialties to try to prevent situations such as incorrect prescribing practices and medication overuse. In this sample of patients from a specialty headache center, approximately 20 percent of patients -- or 1 in 5 -- were using opioids or barbiturates, and about half had been prescribed these medications at some point in the past for their headaches. These findings show that opioids and barbiturates are commonly prescribed to patients with headaches. While two-thirds of patients found opioids or barbiturates helpful, many did not like them, were limited by side effects or did not find them to be helpful. Emergency department physicians were reported to be the most frequent first prescribers of opioids and general neurologists were the most frequent prescribers of barbiturate-containing medications. Primary care physicians were also identified as frequent first prescribers of these medications. (more…)
Author Interviews, Erectile Dysfunction, JAMA, Melanoma, NYU, Pharmacology / 24.06.2015

Dr. Stacy Loeb, MD, MScDepartment of Urology, Population Health, and Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer CenterNew York University, New York MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc Department of Urology, Population Health, and Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center New York University, New York Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Loeb: A paper published last year suggested a relationship between use of (Viagra) and melanoma.  That study had only 142 cases of melanoma, and of these men 14 had used sildenafil.  This study got a lot of publicity leading numerous patients to express concern over whether erectile dysfunction drugs could cause melanoma. Our goal was to look more closely at this issue in a larger population from Sweden (including 4065 melanoma cases of whom 435 used any type of erectile dysfunction drug- Viagra, as well as Levitra and Cialis).  Sweden has a national health system so we were able to access prescription records for men across the entire country, which we linked to the national registries for melanoma and basal cell skin cancer.   (more…)
Author Interviews, Lifestyle & Health, NYU / 19.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stella Yi, PhD, MPH New York University Langone School of Medicine, Department of Population Health New York, NY 10016 MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Yi: Sedentary behaviors, such as sitting time, are an emerging risk factor in the field of physical activity epidemiology. Recent studies have demonstrated the negative health consequences associated with extended sitting time, including metabolic disturbances and decreased life expectancy independent of the effects of regular exercise. We also assessed mean values of self-reported sitting time to characterize these behaviors in a diverse, urban sample of adults. The average New York City resident sits more than seven hours a day—greatly exceeding the three hours or more per day that is associated with decreased life expectancy. Among the findings:
  • At the lower economic end, individuals spent 6.3 hours per day sitting, while those with higher incomes spent 8.2 hours per day sitting
  • College graduates spent 8.2 hours per day sitting, compared with 5.5 hours per day for those with less than a high school education
  • Whites spent on average 7.8 hours per day sitting, African Americans spent 7.4 hours sitting, Hispanics spent 5.4 hours sitting, and Asian Americans spent 7.9 hours per day sitting
  • Sitting time was highest in Manhattan, compared to other boroughs.
In the current analysis, we also assessed the validity of a two-question survey method of sitting time during waking hours using accelerometers to measure sedentary time in a subsample of our study participants. The correlation between sitting time reported in the survey and accelerometer-measured sedentary time was modest (r=0.32, p<0.01) with wide limits of agreement. We interpreted this to mean that while self-reported sitting might be useful at the population-level to provide rankings and subgroups, it may be limited in assessing an individual’s actual behavior. (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Leukemia, NYU, Pediatrics / 15.06.2015

Susan Schwab, PhD Assistant professor at NYU Langone Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Susan Schwab, PhD Assistant professor at NYU Langone Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Schwab:  T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) remains a devastating pediatric disease.  Roughly 20% of children do not respond to current therapies.  Furthermore, metastasis to the central nervous system is common in T-ALL, and intrathecal chemotherapy, even when successful at eradicating the cancer, causes serious long-term cognitive side-effects. Here we report that the chemokine receptor CXCR4 is essential for T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia progression in both mouse and human xenograft models of disease.  Consistent with sustained disease remission in the absence of CXCR4, loss of CXCR4 signaling results in decreased levels of c-Myc, which is required for leukemia initiating cell activity.   T-ALL cells reside near cells generating the CXCR4 ligand CXCL12 in the bone marrow, and our data suggest that vascular endothelial cells may be an important part of the T-ALL niche. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, JAMA, NYU, Surgical Research / 12.06.2015

Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine Section on Value and Effectiveness Department of Population Health NYU School of MedicineMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Medicine Section on Value and Effectiveness Department of Population Health NYU Langone School of Medicine Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Ladapo: Routine tests before elective surgery are largely considered to be of low value, and they may also increase costs.  In an attempt to discourage their use, two professional societies released guidance on use of routine preoperative testing in 2002. We sought to examine the long-term national effect of these guidelines from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists on physicians' use of routine preoperative testing. While we found that overall rates of routine testing declined across several categories over the 14-year study period, these changes were not significant after accounting for overall changes in physicians’ ordering practices. Our findings suggest that professional guidance aimed at improving quality and reducing waste has had little effect on physician or hospital practice. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JAMA, NYU, Surgical Research / 03.06.2015

Wiliam C. Huang, MD FACSAssociate Professor of Urology Division of Urologic Oncology NYU Langone Medical Center/Perlmutter Cancer InstituteMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wiliam C. Huang, MD FACS Associate Professor of Urology Division of Urologic Oncology NYU Langone Medical Center/Perlmutter Cancer Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Huang: The presentation of kidney cancers has dramatically evolved over the past two decades with most kidney cancers being incidentally diagnosed at an early stage. We have begun to recognize that at this small size (< 4 cm), the tumors are frequently indolent in nature and some are completely benign. Consequently, the management options for these small cancers have expanded and evolved.  Whereas the entire removal of the kidney was the treatment of choice in the past, alternative options including removal or ablation of the tumor-bearing portion of the kidney has become increasingly utilized. Similar to other early stage cancers, watchful waiting or observation is also becoming a reasonable treatment option. We used the most recent SEER-Medicare Data (2001 – 2009) to evaluate the management trends and outcomes of small kidney cancers in the new millennium.  We believe that this is an important study as it provides important and practical findings, which are useful to both clinical researches as well as practicing physicians. (more…)