Medical Research Centers
04 Mar Discounts Linked to Widening Gap Between List and Net Drug Prices
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46836" align="alignleft" width="132"] Dr. Hernandez[/caption]
Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics
University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prior research found that list prices of drugs more than doubled in the last decade. However, because prior research was based on list prices, it did not account for manufacturer discounts, which have also increased in the past few years.
We leveraged net pricing data from the investment firm SSR health to estimate increases in drug prices after accounting for discounts.
03 Mar Strong Child Access Prevention Laws Reduced Pediatric Gun Deaths
Posted at 21:40h
in Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Pediatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Hooman Azad
First author and a 3rd year medical student
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
Eric Fleegler, MD MPH FAAP
Senior author and Pediatric Emergency Physician
Boston Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Pediatric firearm violence is a public health crisis. The firearm fatality rate has increased by >50% over the past 10 years. Over our 26-year study period (1991-2016), 13,697 children under the age of 15 died at the hands of a firearm. Laws have been employed to try to reduce these deaths, and Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws, which aim to hold parents liable for the safe storage of their firearms, were passed in 25 states between 1989-2000. No new state passed a CAP laws after the year 2000.
Child Access Prevention laws come in two flavors – recklessness laws that hold firearm owners liable for directly providing firearms to a minor, and negligence laws that hold the firearm owner liable for the unsafe storage of firearms with variability in how storage is defined and what penalties are imposed.
27 Feb Cancers That Survive Chemotherapy Acquire Resistance Genes in Different Ways
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53325" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Pusztai[/caption]
Lajos Pusztai, M.D, D.Phil.
Professor of Medicine
Director, Breast Cancer Translational Research
Co-Director, Yale Cancer Center Genetics and Genomics Program
Yale Cancer Center
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, CT 05620
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We analyzed breast cancer tissues obtained before any therapy and the same cancers after 20 weeks of chemotherapy. This setting is ideal to find out what genomic changes have occurred in cancers that survived therapy. Due to the paucity of such specimens few other studies exist in this space.
27 Feb Widowhood Exacerbates Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53305" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr Donovan[/caption]
Nancy J. Donovan, M.D.
Chief, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA 02115
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prior research has shown that widowed older adults are more likely to experience cognitive decline than those who are married. However, there have been no prior studies of widowhood as a risk factor for cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of severe cognitive impairment.
25 Feb After Age 75 Mammograms May Not Decrease Chance of Dying of Breast Cancer
Posted at 11:52h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cancer Research, Mammograms
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_53229" align="alignleft" width="124"] Dr. Garcia-De-Albeniz[/caption]
Xabier Garcia-De-Albeniz MD PhD
Research Associate
Department of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Mongan Institute for Health Policy
Massachusetts General Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The goal of breast cancer screening is to reduce deaths from breast cancer by finding breast cancer at early, more treatable stages. The main way to screen for breast cancer is periodic mammography, which is an x-ray of the breast that can show tumors before they are large enough to feel. High-quality studies called clinical trials have shown that screening women in their 50s and 60s decreases breast cancer deaths. However, the point at which women can safely stop screening because it no longer decreases breast cancer deaths has not been studied. More than half of women in the United States continue screening mammography after age 75 years.
24 Feb Cannabis Use Among Seniors Rises Sharply
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53242" align="alignleft" width="182"]
Dr. Han[/caption]
Benjamin H. Han, MD MPH
Assistant Professor
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care
New York University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In the past, the prevalence of cannabis use (both for recreational and for medicinal purposes) was very low among adults age 65 and older. As a reference, the national prevalence rate of past-year cannabis use among adults age 65 and older in 2006-2007 was 0.4%, it has increased dramatically since then.
24 Feb Female Underrepresented-Minority Medical Students Report Highest Rates of Discrimination
Posted at 17:48h
in Author Interviews, Education, Gender Differences, JAMA, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Yale
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Katherine A. Hill, BA, BS
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Previous studies have shown that mistreatment is a common and damaging experience for medical students. However, there is little research on whether the prevalence of medical student mistreatment varies by demographic factors such as student sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
20 Feb Has Medicaid Expansion Affected Access to Timely Cancer Care?
Posted at 13:36h
in Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Cost of Health Care, JAMA, University of Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_53218" align="alignleft" width="180"] Dr. Takvorian[/caption]
Samuel Takvorian, MD, MS
Instructor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology
LDI Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansions have been associated with improved access to care, affordability, and for certain surgical and medical conditions, health outcomes. However, studies have also suggested unintended consequences such as lengthened wait times, and there is continued debate about the overall impact of the expansions.
19 Feb Does Adding Genetic Risk to Clinical Score Improve Prediction of Coronary Artery Disease?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53169" align="alignleft" width="149"] Dr. Tzoulaki[/caption]
Dr. Ioanna Tzoulaki
Imperial College
London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Considerable progress has been made in identifying genetic variants that are associated with heart disease. We aimed to investigate whether genetic information can be used to assess the risk of individuals developing heart disease in the future and whether genetic tests can improve current risk assessment strategies which are based on easy to measure factors such as age, sex, smoking status, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and presence of type 2 diabetes.
17 Feb Hypertension Treatments with Chlorthalidone vs HCTZ: Cardiac and Safety Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53185" align="alignleft" width="143"] Dr. Hripcsak[/caption]
George Hripcsak, MD, MS
Vivian Beaumont Allen Professor of Biomedical Informatics
Chair, Department of Biomedical Informatics
Columbia University
Director, Medical Informatics Services
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Diuretics are considered among the best drugs to treat hypertension, but there are no randomized studies to tell us which diuretic is best. Hydrochlorothiazide is the most frequently used diuretic for hypertension, but another drug, chlorthalidone, is gaining favor, with the most recent US hypertension guideline expressing a preference for it. Chlorthalidone is known to be longer acting and therefore perhaps more effective. Other (non-randomized) studies have been inconsistent, and some of them imply that chlorthalidone may be more effective. But other studies have shown that chlorthalidone may have more side effects.
14 Feb Brain Biomarkers May Lead to Clinical Tests for Hidden Hearing Loss
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53179" align="alignleft" width="144"] Dr. Parthasarathy[/caption]
Aravindakshan Parthasarathy, PhD
Researcher, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Instructor in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly explain what is meant by Hidden Hearing Loss?
Response: Our ears were not designed for the society our brains created. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 billion young adults are at risk for hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to excessive environmental noise. Anatomical analysis of human ears has shown that half of the nerve fibers connecting the ear to the brain have degenerated by the time we reach 40 years of age. Many of us experience the first symptoms of hearing loss as a difficulty following conversations in crowded places such as restaurants.
Hidden hearing loss is an umbrella term used to describe such hearing difficulties experienced by people who show no abnormalities on any of the current tests of hearing used in the clinic. Approximately 10% of visitors to our hospital hearing clinic fit this profile, arriving with a primary complaint of poor hearing but being sent home with a clean bill of hearing health.
12 Feb Skin Cancer Risk Increased in Gay and Bisexual Men
Posted at 23:27h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Dermatology, Gender Differences, JAMA, Melanoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_53151" align="alignleft" width="142"] Dr. Mostaghimi[/caption]
Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPA, MPH
Director, Inpatient Dermatology , Brigham and Women's Hospital
Instructor, Harvard Medical School
Department of Dermatology
Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Smaller studies have demonstrated increased risk for skin cancer among gay men. Prior to this study this data had not been confirmed in a nationally representative database.
10 Feb Many Adults Approaching Retirement Avoid Medical Care Because of Cost Concerns
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53089" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Tipirneni[/caption]
Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc, FACP
Assistant Professor
Holder of the Grace H. Elta MD Department of Internal Medicine
Early Career Endowment Award 2019-2024
University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine
Divisions of General Medicine and Hospital Medicine
and Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: While U.S. adults age 50-64 previously had more limited options for health insurance before Medicare at age 65, the Affordable Care Act expanded the number of options, including Marketplace plans (e.g., through HealthCare.gov) and Medicaid. This expanded set of options may complicate decisions about health insurance near retirement. In addition, several policy challenges to the Affordable Care Act may add uncertainty to the decision-making process.
10 Feb NEJM: Does Antenatal Vitamin D Prevent Childhood Asthma?
Posted at 22:28h
in Asthma, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, NEJM, Pediatrics, Vitamin D
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_53065" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Litonjua[/caption]
Augusto A. Litonjua, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor - Department of Pediatrics, Pulmonology
Interim Chief - Department of Medicine , Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care
Professor - Department of Medicine , Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care
University of Rochester
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is prevalent worldwide. Prior observational studies have shown that low vitamin D levels have been associated with the development of asthma. Animal studies have reported that antenatal vitamin D is important for lung development in utero. Thus, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women to see if we could prevent the development of asthma and wheezing illnesses in young children. The initial report of the trial results showed that children born to mothers in the vitamin D supplementation arm had lower risks for developing either asthma or recurrent wheezing episodes over the first 3 years, but this was not statistically significant (p=0.051)(Litonjua et al. JAMA 2016).
05 Feb Vascular Stiffness Increases in Year Before Menopause
Posted at 21:15h
in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Menopause, Race/Ethnic Diversity, University of Pittsburgh
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_36295" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. El Khoudary[/caption]
Samar R. El Khoudary, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
and
Saad Samargandy, M.P.H.
Ph.D. Student
University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Research findings suggest that women experience adverse changes in multiple clinical measures of their cardiovascular health during the menopause transition period. We were interested in evaluating the timing of critical changes in arterial stiffness and investigating potential racial differences in how arterial stiffness progresses during the menopause transition. Arterial stiffness refers to the elasticity of arteries and it measures the rate at which blood flows through arteries. Stiffer arteries can lead to dysfunction in how well the heart pumps and moves blood, and damage to the heart, kidneys and other organs.
We used a subset of data from SWAN Heart, an ancillary study that enrolled women from Pittsburgh and Chicago between 2001 and 2003 and included two examinations of early markers of cardiovascular health over time. Ultimately, 339 women were included in this study, 36% black and the rest white.
31 Jan Concussion Clinical Profiles Screening Identifies Concussions with 5 Minute Tool
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53039" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Kontos[/caption] Anthony Kontos, PhD Research Director, UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery University of Pittsburgh MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Current concussion symptom reports, while useful for identifying concussion, are not specific enough. They include symptoms such as headache...
28 Jan Machine Learning Enhanced Blood Biomarkers Predict Progression of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Posted at 18:17h
in Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, McGill, Neurology, Technology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52997" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Iturria-Medina[/caption]
Yasser Iturria-Medina PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
Associate member of the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and
Mental Health McConnell Brain Imaging Centre
McGill University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: As background, two main points:
- Almost all molecular (gene expression) analyses performed in neurodegeneration are based on snapshots data, taking at one or a few time points covering the disease's large evolution. Because neurodegenerative diseases take decades to develop, until now we didn't have a dynamical characterization of these diseases. Our study tries to overcome such limitation, proposing a data-driven methodology to study long term dynamical changes associated to disease.
28 Jan Which Blood Pressure Medications Are Better For Patients At Risk of Gout?
Posted at 12:31h
in Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Gout
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52991" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Juraschek[/caption]
Stephen P. Juraschek, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Division of General Medicine, Section for Research
Boston, MA 02215
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Gout is a common complication of blood pressure treatment. Furthermore, 75% of adults with gout have hypertension. There are several classes of medications uses to treat hypertension. While prior studies have reported that calcium channel blockers like amlodipine lower uric acid, its effects on gout risk compared to other common first-line antihypertensive agents are unknown.
27 Jan Free Sample Closets More Common in Smaller Primary Care Practices
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52969" align="alignleft" width="147"]
Prof. Woloshin[/caption]
Steven Woloshin, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine
Professor, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Industry spends more on detailing visits and free samples than any other form of prescription drug marketing. There is good evidence that these activities can lead to more use of expensive new drugs over equally effective cheaper options. Given these concerns there have been efforts by some hospitalls and practices to restrict these forms of marketing.
We asked physicians in group practices delivering primary care about how often pharmaceutical reps visit their practice and whether they have a free sample closet.
27 Jan Dean of UC Davis Discusses How To Encourage More Women To Become Neurologists
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52973" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Brashear[/caption]
Allison Brashear, M.D., M.B.A.
Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Why is the demand for neurology services and neurologists increasing?
Response: The American Academy of Neurology estimates that by 2025 the number of neurologists in practice will increase to 18,060 but some 3,400 more will be needed to meet the demand for their services. The 58% increase in the number of residency positions in the National Resident Matching Program since 2008 also reflects the growing demand. The higher prevalence of neurologic conditions, aging U.S. population and more patients having access to the health care coverage are the major driving forces. (Note: source of NRMP neurology trend data comes from a physician/resident forum posted May 2019 https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/growth-trends-in-neurology-residency-positions.1375918/)
MedicalResearch.com: Why is neurology included among the less desirable fields of medicine (similar to nephrology, infectious disease, endocrinology etc.) for medical students and residents to pursue? Why is burnout and dissatisfaction so high?
Response: According to the American Academy of Neurology, a minority of medical students choose to train in neurology each year, with approximately 3.1% matching into a neurology residency in 2018. The newer generations of neurologists value lifestyle and time off work more than their predecessors.
According to a recent American Medical Association survey, neurology tied with critical care as the medical specialty with the highest stress levels and burnout. Too many administrative tasks, too many hours at work, increased computerization of practice and insufficient compensation were among the top causes of burnout.
22 Jan Blood Pressure Variability in Mid-Life Associated With Greater Cardiovascular Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_50729" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Yano[/caption]
Yuichiro Yano MD
Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health
Duke University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The blood pressure (BP) guideline in the US recommend using an “average” of multiple BP measurements over time for screening for and management of high BP in young adults. While it is well known that BP varies across visits, that “variability” (i.e., visit-to-visit blood pressure variability) is dismissed as a random fluctuation in the clinical setting.
Little is known regarding the clinical relevance of visit-to-visit blood pressure variability over time in young adults.
22 Jan When It Comes to Healthy Dieting, It’s the Quality of Nutrients That Counts
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52849" align="alignleft" width="135"] Dr. Shan[/caption]
Zhilei Shan PhD
Postdoctoral fellow on Nutritional Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Long-standing controversies have focused on the health consequences of dietary fat and carbohydrate. Previous evidence has shown that different types of carbohydrates and fats have varying effects on disease risk and health. For example, carbohydrates from refined grains and added sugars may contribute to insulin resistance and other metabolic problems while carbohydrates from whole grains and whole fruits appear to be beneficial. Likewise, replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat was associated with lower risk of heart disease and mortality.
Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate quality and types of carbohydrate and fat when investigating the associations of low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets with mortality.
21 Jan After Thyroid Removal, Patients with Low Magnesium at Greater Risk of Low Calcium
Posted at 23:34h
in Author Interviews, Johns Hopkins, Mineral Metabolism, Surgical Research, Thyroid Disease
The most obvious take away is that correcting the magnesium levels can help patients to normalize calcium levels due to the synergy between the two....
21 Jan Cardiologists Should Screen Patients for Marijuana Use
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52888" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. DeFilippis[/caption]
Ersilia DeFilippis, MD
Second-year cardiology fellow
Columbia University Irving Medical Center and
NewYork-Presbyterian
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Marijuana use has been increasing significantly and is the most commonly illicit drug used in the United States. In recent years, more states have been legalizing its use for both recreational and medicinal purposes. We have all seen news reports regarding the rise of vaping-related health hazards. Yet, data are limited regarding the cardiovascular effects of marijuana which is what drove us to explore this topic.
17 Jan Critically Ill African American Patients Do Less Well at Predominately Minority Hospitals
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52803" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Danziger[/caption]
John Danziger, MD
Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, Nephrology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Racial health disparities have long been described, extending even into the highest levels of medical care, namely the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Accordingly, we wanted to know whether improvements in ICU care seen over the last decade are equally observed in minority and non-minority serving hospitals.
14 Jan Does Increased Vegetable Consumption Affect Prostate Cancer Progression?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52764" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Parsons[/caption]
Kellogg Parsons, MD, MHS
Professor of Urology
Moores UC San Diego Comprehensive Cancer Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Clinical guidelines for prostate cancer, circulated widely in the public domain, endorse the consumption of diets high in micronutrient-enriched vegetables. Drawing on expert opinion, epidemiological studies, and small preclinical experiments, these recommendations propose that vegetable-enriched diets may decrease cancer progression and death among prostate cancer survivors. However, data from randomized clinical trials focused on actionable clinical endpoints has been lacking.
We utilized a specific behavioral intervention, grounded in the field of social psychology, to “nudge” patients with prostate cancer toward healthier food choices. The intervention is telephone-based, like a call center: patient-focused, convenient, and simple.
13 Jan Use of Robotic Surgery Rapidly Increased For Common Surgical Procedures
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52750" align="alignleft" width="144"] Dr. Sheetz[/caption]
Kyle Sheetz, MD
Clinical Year 4
Resident, General Surgery
Michigan Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There are concerns that robotic surgery is increasing for common surgical procedures with limited evidence and unclear clinical benefit. Prior studies describing the use of robotic surgery relied upon claims or billing data to identify robotic operations from laparoscopic or open ones. This may lead to inaccuracies as claims data may not provide specific codes for robotic operations.
09 Jan FLASH Radiotherapy Has Potential To Deliver Entire Course of Cancer Treatment in One Second
Posted at 16:53h
in Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Radiation Therapy, University of Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52740" align="alignleft" width="148"] Dr. Cengel[/caption]
Keith A. Cengel, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: FLASH radiotherapy involves delivering the treatment dose at a rate that is 1000s of times faster than standard radiotherapy. Scientists have studied the differential biological effects of various dose rates for dose rates for the past ~80 years, but the unique effects of FLASH dose rates have only been appreciated in the last few years.
While the mechanism(s) and applications of FLASH radiotherapy remain an area of active investigation, t is clear so far that FLASH dose rates can provide similar levels of tumor control with less toxicity to normal tissues when compared to the same dose of radiotherapy delivered at a standard dose rate.
09 Jan Nervous System Biomarker Linked to Mortality from Heart Failure
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52737" align="alignleft" width="191"] Olujimi A. Ajijola, MD, PhD[/caption]
Olujimi A. Ajijola, MD, PhD
Neurocardiology Research Center of Excellence
Cardiac Arrhythmia Center
University of California, Los Angeles
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: It hadn’t been understood why some people with basic heart failure might live longer than others despite receiving the same medications and medical device therapy. Through this research we set out to determine whether a biomarker of the nervous system could help explain the difference. This study revealed a biomarker that can specifically predict which patients with “stable” heart failure have a higher risk of dying within one to three years.