Medical Research Centers
18 Oct Use of Oral Anticoagulation at Time of PCI Surgery Linked To Increase in Adverse Events
Posted at 22:42h
in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Clots - Coagulation, Heart Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28981" align="alignleft" width="120"]
Dr. Eric A. Secemsky[/caption]
Eric A. Secemsky, MD MSc
Interventional Cardiology Fellow
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Fellow, Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Use of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy prior to coronary stenting is a significant predictor of post-procedural bleeding events. Previous studies have estimated that the frequency of chronic OAC use among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is between 3% to 7%. Yet many of these analyses examined select patient populations, such as those admitted with acute myocardial infarction or atrial fibrillation, and preceded the market approval of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). As such, the contemporary prevalence of OAC use among all-comers undergoing PCI, as well as associated risks of adverse events, are currently unknown.
Therefore, we used PCI data from a large, integrated healthcare system to determine current use of oral anticoagulant use among all-comers undergoing coronary stenting and the related short- and long-term risks of therapy.
17 Oct New Ibuprofen Formulation May Avoid Cardiac Side Effects
Posted at 20:34h
in Author Interviews, FASEB, Heart Disease, Imperial College, Pain Research, Pharmacology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28945" align="alignleft" width="149"]
Dr Nicholas Kirkby[/caption]
Dr Nicholas Kirkby
BHF Intermediate Fellow | Vascular Biology
National Heart & Lung Institute | Imperial College London
London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We know drugs like ibuprofen, called ‘non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs’ cause an increase in the risk of heart attacks. These side effects cause very real concerns for the many millions of people who rely on them. They are also the reason why there are no new drugs in this class and why they have been withdrawn (2011) for use as a preventative treatment for colon cancer. Previous research from our group suggests that L-arginine supplements may prevent the cardiovascular side effects caused by these drugs. Our findings here suggest that a particular formulations of ibuprofen, called ibuprofen arginate, which is already available in many parts of the world, can act like an L-arginine supplement and that this could potentially protect the cardiovascular system.
16 Oct PD-1 Blockers Offer Hope To Some Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28911" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Arjun Balar[/caption]
Arjun Balar, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director - Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program
NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center
New York, NY 10016
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Standard treatment for advanced urothelial cancer includes cisplatin-based chemotherapy which has been shown to improve survival. But more than half of patients are not expected tolerate it well and alternative treatment is inferior to cisplatin. The average survival for these patients is in the range of 9-10 months with carboplatin-based treatment, which is the most commonly used alternative to cisplatin. Pembrolizumab is a PD-1 blocking antibody that reactivates the body’s cancer-fighting T-cells (part of the immune system) to fight urothelial cancer.
The trial overall enrolled 374 patients who had not yet received any treatment for advanced urothelial cancer, but were considered ineligible for cisplatin chemotherapy.
15 Oct Androgen Deprivation For Prostate Cancer Linked to Dementia
Posted at 13:04h
in Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Hormone Therapy, JAMA, Prostate Cancer, University of Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Kevin T. Nead, MD, MPhil
Resident, Radiation Oncology
Perelman School of Medicine
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Androgen deprivation therapy is a primary treatment for prostate cancer and works by lowering testosterone levels. There is a strong body of research suggesting that low testosterone can negatively impact neurovascular health and function. We were therefore interested in whether androgen deprivation therapy is associated with dementia through an adverse impact on underlying neurovascular function.
13 Oct Maternal Use of SSRIs May Be Related to Speech and Language Disorders in Offspring
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28737" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Alan Brown[/caption]
Alan S. Brown, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor of Psychiatry and Epidemiology
Columbia University Medical Center
Director, Program in Birth Cohort Studies, Division of Epidemiology
New York State Psychiatric Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Maternal use of antidepressants during pregnancy has been increasing. A previous study from a team that I led in a national birth cohort in Finland showed that mother’s use of a serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant is related to an increased risk of depression in offspring. We sought to evaluate whether these medications also increased risk of speech/language, scholastic, and motor outcomes in offspring. We found an increased risk (37% higher risk) of speech/language disorders in offspring of mothers exposed to SSRIs in pregnancy compared to mothers who were depressed during pregnancy but did not take an SSRI during pregnancy.
12 Oct New Drug Blocks Frequency of Drinking Alcohol, But Not Amount Once Drinking Starts
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28814" align="alignleft" width="140"]
Megan Ryan[/caption]
Megan Ryan M.B.A.
Clinical Program Director, DMD
Technology Development Coordinator
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been linked to the dysregulation of the brain stress systems (e.g. corticotropin-releasing factor, glucocorticoids, and vasopressin) creating a negative emotional state leading to chronic relapsing behavior. Several pre-clinical studies have shown that by blocking the V1b receptor with a V1b receptor antagonist, dependence induced compulsive-like alcohol intake is also blocked. This is the first multi-site trial to assess the efficacy of the V1b receptor antagonist novel compound (ABT-436) for the treatment of alcohol dependence.
12 Oct Open Payment Data Discloses Industry-Dermatology Financial Relationships
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28564" align="alignleft" width="90"]
Dr. Hao Feng[/caption]
Hao Feng, M.D., M.H.S.
Resident, Department of Dermatology
NYU Langone Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Recently, there has been an increased scrutiny on industry-physician interactions and emphasis on disclosures of interactions. While we know about the types of interaction between dermatologists and industry, we wanted to understand that relationship more in depth by probing the Open Payment database.
12 Oct Technology May Help Physicians Improve the Art of Medical Diagnosis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28621" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Ateev Mehrotra[/caption]
Ateev Mehrotra, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Health Care Policy
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Prior research has highlighted that physicians make diagnostic errors roughly 10 to 15 percent of the time. Over the last two decades, computer-based checklists and other “fail-safe” digital apps have been increasingly used to reduce medication errors or streamline infection-prevention protocols. Lately, experts have wondered whether computers might also help reduce diagnostic errors.
In the study, 234 internal medicine physicians were asked to evaluate 45 clinical cases, involving both common and uncommon conditions with varying degrees of severity. For each case, physicians had to identify the most likely diagnosis along with two additional possible diagnoses. Each clinical vignette was solved by at least 20 physicians. The same cases were also evaluated using 19 symptom checkers, websites or apps that use computers that help patients determine potential diagnoses for what is wrong based on their symptoms.
The physicians vastly outperformed the symptom-checker apps, listing the correct diagnosis 72 percent of the time, compared with 34 percent of the time for the digital platforms. Eighty-four percent of clinicians listed the correct diagnosis in the top three possibilities, compared with 51 percent for the digital symptom-checkers.
12 Oct Antibiotics Encourage Spread of C.diff To Subsequent Patients Who Occupy the Same Bed and Haven’t Received Antibiotics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28610" align="alignleft" width="199"]
Dr. Daniel E. Freedberg[/caption]
Dr. Daniel E. Freedberg MD MS
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We conducted this study because previous studies indicate that the gastrointestinal microbiome is easily shared between people who co-occupy a given space (such as a hospital room). We wondered if antibiotics might exert an effect on the local microbial environment.
10 Oct Study Evaluates Hospital-at-Home For Low Risk Medical Conditions
Posted at 20:40h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cost of Health Care, JAMA, Outcomes & Safety
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28715" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Jared Conley[/caption]
Jared Conley, MD, PhD, MPH
Department of Emergency Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA 02114
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: As the U.S. healthcare system seeks to improve the health of populations and individual patients, there is increasing interest to better align healthcare needs of patients with the most appropriate setting of care—particularly as it relates to hospital-based care (accounting for 1/3 of total U.S. healthcare costs).
Avoiding hospitalization—as long as safety and quality are not compromised—is often preferred by patients and the added benefit of potentially making care more affordable further promotes such care redesign efforts. There is a growing body of research studying alternative management strategies to hospitalization; we sought to comprehensively review and analyze this work. Alternative management strategies reviewed include outpatient management, quick diagnostic units, observation units, and hospital-at-home.
10 Oct Results of the 2-Year Ocriplasmin for Treatment for Symptomatic Vitreomacular Adhesion Including Macular Hole (OASIS) Randomized Trial
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28685" align="alignleft" width="120"]
Dr. Pravin Dugel[/caption]
Pravin U. Dugel, MD
Retina Consultants of Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona; USC Roski Eye Institute
Keck School of Medicine
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: OASIS is an acronym for “OcriplASmIn for Treatment for Symptomatic Vitreomacular Adhesion including Macular Hole”. It was a Phase IIIB, randomized, prospective, sham-controlled, double-masked, multicenter clinical study. The goal of the study was to further evaluate the long-term (24 months) efficacy and safety of a single injection of 0.125mg of ocriplasmin in patients with symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) and vitreomacular traction (VMT), including macular hole (MH).
OASIS evaluated 220 patients with symptomatic VMA/VMT. One hundred forty-six patients received ocriplasmin while 74 served as a sham control group. In the latter group, no intravitreal injection was administered.
08 Oct Little Change in PSA Use After Taskforce Recommendation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Ryan Hutchinson MD and Yair Lotan MD Department of Urology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The United States Preventative Services Task Force recommendation against PSA screening generated significant controversy. Research since then has relied heavily on survey data to examine the impact of the recommendation on PSA screening practices. In a hotly charged issue such as this, such data can carry significant bias. We examined a large, whole-institution data in the years before and after the USPSTF recommendations reflecting actual practice and found that the changes in PSA use at our institution, if any, were small. This is more consistent with behavior seen after the vast majority of practice recommendations.08 Oct Hookah Smoking in the US: Potential Threat to Young Adults
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28638" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Michael Weitzman[/caption]
Professor Michael Weitzman MD
New York University's College of Global Public Health and
The Departments of Pediatrics and Population Health
New York University School of Medicine
NYU Langone Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is a marked and rapidly increasing epidemic of hookah (waterpipe) use in the US. Hookah use appears to be as, or even more, dangerous than cigarette use. There are data suggesting that one hookah session is comparable to smoking 5 packs of cigarettes in terms of exposure to toxins. The CDC and WHO both have issued warnings that hookah pipe use may eradicate much or all of the progress of the past 50 years of tobacco control efforts.
07 Oct Machine Learning and Free-Text Analysis of Notes Improves Patient Identification
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28567" align="alignleft" width="144"]
Dr. Saul Blecker,[/caption]
Saul Blecker, MD, MHS
Department of Population Health
New York University Langone School of Medicine,
New York, NY 10016
Saul.Blecker@nyumc.org
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The identification of conditions or diseases in the electronic health record (EHR) is critical in clinical practice, for quality improvement, and for clinical interventions. Today, a disease such as heart failure is typically identified in real-time using a “problem list”, i.e., a list of conditions for each patient that is maintained by his or her providers, or using simple rules drawn from structured data. In this study, we examined the comparative benefit of using more sophisticated approaches for identifying hospitalized patients with heart failure.
06 Oct Higher Income Inequality Associated With Higher Medicare Expenditures
Posted at 23:42h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cost of Health Care, Surgical Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Diego Lopez
Harvard medical student and
Dr. Andrew Loehrer MD
former surgical resident at MGH
senior author:
David C. Chang, PhD, MPH, MBA
Associate Professor of Surgery
Director of Healthcare Research and Policy Development
Department of Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Income inequality in the United States has been increasing in recent decades, and has become an important in this election cycle. Although income inequality is often framed in terms of its effects on politics and the economy, little attention has been paid to its effect on the healthcare system. In our study, we set out to evaluate the way in which counties with differing levels of income inequality made use of the healthcare system while controlling for the overall income (as well as other demographic variables).
We found that areas with higher income inequality were associated with higher Medicare expenditures. And these effects are independent of – meaning they are in addition to – the known effect of poverty on healthcare utilization.
06 Oct Do People Wearing Activity Trackers Really Exercise More?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Aarti Sahasranaman, PhD Duke-NUS Gradaute Medical School Singapore MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: More than half of adults in developed countries do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Despite the popularity of activity trackers as a tool for motivating and monitoring activity levels, little research exists on whether they can help people lead healthier lives, or if financial incentives could encourage people to wear them for longer and achieve higher fitness levels. One in ten US adults owns an activity tracker but research suggests that about a third of people abandon them within 6 months of purchase.06 Oct Lower Salt Intake Linked To Decreased Blood Pressure, Heart Disease and Mortality
Posted at 11:22h
in Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, JACC, Salt-Sodium
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28435" align="alignleft" width="130"]
Dr. Nancy Cook[/caption]
Nancy Cook ScD
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Professor in the Department of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School Public Health
Brigham & Women’s Hospital Division of Preventive Medicine
Boston, MA 02215
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The association of sodium intake with later mortality has been controversial. While there is a well-accepted effect on blood pressure, the effects of sodium on later cardiovascular disease, and particularly mortality, have been subject to dispute. While the adverse effects of high sodium are now widely accepted, effects at lower levels of sodium intake are less clear. Some recent studies have found a J-shaped relationship, with increased disease rates among those consuming lower levels of sodium, contrary to the effects on blood pressure.
In contrast, we found a direct linear relationship of usual intake of sodium with later mortality over 20 years of follow-up. Those with the lowest sodium intake experienced the lowest mortality. Our measure of intake was based on the average over 1-3 years of several measures of 24hr urine sodium excretion, the gold standard of sodium measurement. This is much more precise than measurements based on a single 24hr sodium excretion or especially on a spot urine sample, which is used in many publications that found the J-shaped curve. Our data were assessed in a healthy cohort of men and women without hypertension or cardiovascular disease, so had less potential bias due to these factors. We thus believe that our results showing the lowest mortality among those consuming the lowest levels of sodium are more accurate.
06 Oct Digital Mobile Technology Gives Some Arm Function To Stroke Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28589" align="alignleft" width="149"]
Dr Paul Bentley[/caption]
Dr Paul Bentley MA MRCP PhD
Clinical Senior Lecturer in Clinical Neuroscience
Honorary Consultant Neurologist
Neurology Dept
Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust
Charing Cross Hospital
London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: gripAble was designed to help people with arm disability practise physiotherapy when a physiotherapist is not available, or in between physiotherapy sessions. We know that the amount of physiotherapy provision in the UK, after stroke or arm injury, is typically below that which is recommended by professional bodies. Furthermore, increasing research suggests that higher-intensity training can boost functional outcomes. The innovation was designed to help people with a range of disabilities including severe paralysis engage with computer games with their weak arm. At the same time its designed to be portable for use at home or in bed, and low-cost.
gripAble also enables remote measurement and monitoring of arm function, by setting users a series of calibrated tasks played out on the tablet screen. This way doctors and physiotherapists can assess the needs of a patient, and gain an idea of how well a patient is responding to home physiotherapy.
05 Oct UV Sensitive ‘Band-aid’ Makes Monitoring Sun Exposure Easy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28574" align="alignleft" width="164"]
Dr. Andrea M Armani[/caption]
Dr. Andrea M Armani PhD
Fluor Early Career Chair and Associate Professor
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The “Internet of Things” (IoT) has seen an explosion in online sensor technologies, including UV sensors and monitors; for example, those from Apple and Samsung. However, they require connectivity and power, and they are integrated into delicate electronic systems that are not compatible with outdoor, athletic activities such as swimming, which is precisely when you should monitor UV exposure. Therefore, somewhat ironically, the technologies developed to meet the demands of the IoT are not ideal for cumulative UV exposure detection.
Our goal was to develop a single use patch – like a smart “band-aid” – for the beach to alert users when they had been in the sun for an hour and needed to re-apply sunscreen or get out of the sun altogether. This application required a rugged system that was waterproof, bendable, and compatible with sunscreen. Additionally, the sensor readout needed to be easy to interpret. These requirements influenced our design and material selection.
05 Oct Perinatal Adverse Events Linked To Increased Risk of OCD
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gustaf Brander Department of Clinical Neuroscience Karolinska Institutet MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to be caused by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Whereas genetic studies are well underway, the research on environmental factors has been lagging behind. As they explain a significant portion of the variance, are potentially malleable, and are essential for understanding how the genetic component works, this area of research is of great importance.05 Oct Electronic cigarettes increase endothelial progenitor cells in the blood of healthy volunteers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28559" align="alignleft" width="180"]
Dr. Lukasz Antoniewicz[/caption]
Lukasz Antoniewicz MD, PhD candidate
Karolinska Institutet
Department of Clinical Sciences
Danderyd University Hospital
Stockholm, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Electronic cigarette sales increase exponentially on a global scale without knowledge about possible negative effects on human health. We performed an exposure study in young healthy volunteers and analyzed blood samples for endothelial progenitor cells and microvesicles. Increase in those markers may reflect vascular injury, inflammation and platelet activation.
03 Oct What Interventions Can Reduce Epidemic Physician Burnout?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28502" align="alignleft" width="166"]
Dr. Colin West[/caption]
Colin P. West, MD, PhD, FACP
Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Biomedical Statistics and Informatics
Departments of Internal Medicine and Health Sciences Research
Mayo Clinic
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Physician burnout has reached epidemic levels, as documented in national studies of both physicians in training and practicing physicians demonstrating burnout rates in excess of 50%. Consequences include negative effects on patient care, professionalism, physicians’ own care and safety, and the viability of health-care systems. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to better understand the quality and outcomes of the literature on approaches to prevent and reduce burnout.
We identified 2617 articles, of which 15 randomized trials including 716 physicians and 37 cohort studies including 2914 physicians met inclusion criteria. Across interventions, overall burnout rates decreased from 54% to 44%, emotional exhaustion score decreased from 23.82 points to 21.17 points, and depersonalization score decreased from 9.05 to 8.41. High emotional exhaustion rates decreased from 38% to 24% and high depersonalization rates decreased from 38% to 34%.
03 Oct Sharp Rise in Heroin Use Among Young Adults Who Use Nonmedical Prescription Opioids
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28490" align="alignleft" width="165"]
Dr. Silvia Martins[/caption]
Silvia S. Martins, MD, PHD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Department of Epidemiology
Mailman School Of Public Health
Columbia University
New York, NY 10032
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Given the high probability of nonmedical use among adolescents and young adults, the potential development of prescription opioid use disorder secondary to nonmedical use among youth represents an important and growing public health concern. Still, no study had investigated time trends, specifically if prescription opioid use disorder has increased in the past decade among adolescents, emerging adults and young adults who are nonmedical users of prescription opioids.
30 Sep Mibefradil Dihydrochoride with Hypofractionated Radiation for Recurrent Glioblastoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28487" align="alignleft" width="175"]
Dr. Nataniel Lester-Coll[/caption]
Nataniel Lester-Coll, MD
Chief Resident in Radiation Oncology at Yale
New Haven, Connecticut
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) has limited treatment options and the prognosis is poor. Mibefradil diydrochloride was identified using a high-throughput compound screen for DNA double stranded break repair inhibitors. Mibefradil was found to radiosensitize GBM tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Based on these findings, we sought to determine the maximum tolerated dose of mibefradil and radiation therapy in a Phase I recurrent GBM study. Eligible patients with recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme received Mibefradil over a 17 day period, with hypofractionated radiation (600 cGy x 5 fractions). There are 18 patients currently enrolled who have completed treatment. Thus far, there is no clear evidence of radionecrosis. A final dose level of 200 mg/day was reached as the maximum tolerated dose. The drug was very well tolerated at this dose. We saw intriguing evidence of enhanced local control in selected cases. Patients enrolled in a translational substudy who received Mibefradil prior to surgery were found to have adequate levels of Mibefradil in resected brain tumor tissue.
28 Sep Nighttime Hot Flashes With Sleep Disruption Linked To Depressive Symptoms During Menopause
Posted at 22:45h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Depression, JCEM, Menopause, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28419" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Hadine Joffe[/caption]
Hadine Joffe, MD, MSc
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Vice Chair for Psychiatry Research
Director of Division of Women's Mental Health / Dept of Psychiatry / Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Director of Psycho-Oncology Research / Dept of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care /Dana Farber Cancer Institute
www.brighamwharp.org
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We conducted this study to advance our understanding about causes of mood disturbance in the menopause transition that are specifically related to menopause. We used an experimental model to dissect out the contributions of hot flashes and sleep disturbance from contribution of changing levels of estrogen because hot flashes, sleep problems, and estrogen fluctuations co-occur and are difficult to distinguish from one another. Understanding whether hot flashes and/or sleep disturbance are causally related to mood disturbance will help us identify who is at risk for mood changes during the menopause transition. This is incredibly important now that we are finding effective non-hormonal treatments for hot flashes and sleep disruption.
28 Sep Excess Zinc May Predispose to C.diff By Altering Gut Microbiome
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28403" align="alignleft" width="147"]
Dr. Eric P Skaar,[/caption]
Eric P Skaar, Ph.D., MPH
Director, Division of Molecular Pathogenesis
Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology
Vice Chair for Basic Research, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Nutrient metals are known to be a critical driver of the outcome of host-pathogen interactions, and C. difficile is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections. C. difficile infection typically occurs following antibiotic-mediated disruption of the healthy microbiome. We were interested in learning how nutrient metals can shape the microbiome and impact the outcome of Clostridium difficile infection.
We found that excess zinc alters the structure of the microbiome and increases the severity of C. difficile infection in mice.
27 Sep Study Supports Routine Colon Cancer Screening Through Age 75, With Individualized Decisions Afterwards
Posted at 19:48h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Colon Cancer, Geriatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28323" align="alignleft" width="124"]
Dr. Xabier 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: Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard to inform health care delivery. Unfortunately, no randomized controlled trials of screening colonoscopy have been completed. Ongoing trials exclude persons aged 75 or older, and will not have mature results before 2025. However, healthy persons older than 75 may live long enough to benefit from colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The Medicare program reimburses screening colonoscopy without an upper age limit since the year 2001. We used the extensive experience of Medicare beneficiaries to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of screening colonoscopy.
27 Sep Can Low Dose Oral Nicotine Have Beneficial Health Effects?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28356" align="alignleft" width="132"]
Dr. Ursula H. Winzer-Serhan[/caption]
Ursala. H. Winzer-Serhan Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics
Texas A&M Health Science Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Nicotine is a plant alkaloid that is naturally occurring in the tobacco plant. Smoking delivers nicotine to the brain where it acts as a stimulant. Tobacco and electronic cigarette smoking delivers many other chemicals to the body, which are harmful and can cause cancer.
However, the drug nicotine by itself is relatively benign and poses few health risks for most people. Nicotine acts in the brain on nicotinic receptors, which are ion channels that are widely expressed in the brain. They play an important role in cognitive functions. Research with rodents and in humans has shown that nicotine can enhance learning and memory, and furthermore, can protect neurons during injuries and in the aging brain. With the increasingly older population, it becomes more and more important to delay cognitive decline in the elderly. Right now, there is no drug available that could delay aging of the brain.
26 Sep Depressive disorders are the most frequent neuropsychiatric complication of TBI
Posted at 22:41h
in Author Interviews, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Brain Injury, Depression, JAMA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_27935" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Ricardo Jorge[/caption]
Ricardo E. Jorge MD
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director Houston Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders
Senior Scientist Beth K. and Stuart C. Yudofsky Division of Neuropsychiatry
Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center
Baylor College of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Depressive disorders affect between one-third and one-half of patients with traumatic brain injury. Once established, these disorders are difficult to treat and frequently follow a chronic and refractory course.
Depression has a deleterious effect on TBI outcomes, particularly affecting the community reintegration of TBI patients.
In this randomized clinical trial that included 94 adult patients with TBI, the hazards for developing depression for participants receiving placebo were about 4 times the hazards of participants receiving sertraline treatment.