Author Interviews, Infections, Respiratory, Vaccine Studies, Vanderbilt / 11.10.2015

Annabelle de St. Maurice MD, MPH Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow Vanderbilt Children's HospitaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Annabelle de St. Maurice MD, MPH Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow Vanderbilt Children's Hospital  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. de St. Maurice: Susceptibility to certain infectious diseases appears to vary by gender. For example, males may be at increased risk of certain infections in childhood, including lower respiratory tract infections such as RSV, however females may have more severe infections, such as influenza, during pregnancy. Some early studies have suggested that males may be at increased risk of pneumococcal infections but this has not been confirmed. Furthermore, whether those potential gender differences remain after introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines is unknown. Invasive pneumococcal disease, which includes meningitis, bacteremic pneumonia and bacteremia/septicemia, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States in children and adults. The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) led to declines in invasive pneumococcal disease rates as well as eliminated racial disparities in regards to invasive pneumococcal disease rates. Our study sought to identify potential gender differences in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease, and to determine the impact of vaccines on gender differences in the susceptibility to these diseases. We conducted a large study that used data from a population-based surveillance system of invasive pneumococcal diseases in Tennessee. This is part of a large CDC funded network of surveillance sites for these diseases. For our study, we identified patients with laboratory-confirmed invasive pneumococcal disease, and calculated the incidence of invasive pneumococcal diseases from 1998-2013 by gender. We also stratified the calculations by age groups and race, both well-known factors that affect the occurrence of invasive pneumococcal disease. Our study found that males had generally higher rates of invasive pneumococcal disease than females across age groups, regardless of race. Although introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines led to a significant decrease in invasive pneumococcal disease rates, males continued to have higher rates than females in several age groups. (more…)
Author Interviews, Flu - Influenza, JAMA, Vanderbilt / 05.10.2015

Carlos G. Grijalva, MD MPH Associate Professor Department of Health Policy Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN 37212MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carlos G. Grijalva, MD MPH Associate Professor Department of Health Policy Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN 37212  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Grijalva: Influenza is an important cause of disease. Every year influenza causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations in the US. The most effective strategy to prevent influenza infections is vaccination. Several studies have shown that influenza vaccines can prevent fever or respiratory symptoms caused by influenza. However, whether influenza vaccines can prevent more serious complications of influenza such as pneumonia, remains unclear This was a multicenter collaboration between academic institutions and the centers for disease control and prevention. We used data from the Etiology of Pneumonia in the community or EPIC study, a large prospective study of hospitalizations for pneumonia conducted between 2010 and 2012. The EPIC study enrolled patients from Chicago, IL, Salt Lake City, UT, and Memphis and Nashville, TN. The main goal of the EPIC study was to determine the causes of pneumonia in children and adults hospitalized with pneumonia. Medical Research:? What are the main findings? Dr. Grijalva: We conducted a case-control study using data from EPIC. Our study included more than 2700 patients hospitalized for pneumonia, including both children and adults. Approximately 6% of these patients had influenza pneumonia and were identified as cases. Other patients hospitalized for pneumonia that was not caused by influenza were the controls. We compared the history of influenza vaccination between cases and controls. We found that influenza vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of influenza pneumonia that required hospitalization. The estimated vaccine effectiveness was 57%. This means that about 57% of hospitalizations due to influenza-associated pneumonia could be prevented through influenza vaccination. (more…)
JAMA, Vanderbilt / 24.09.2015

Michael A. Vella, M.D. Veterans Affairs Medical Center Vanderbilt University, NashvilleMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael A. Vella, M.D. Veterans Affairs Medical Center Vanderbilt University, Nashville Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Vella: We are fortunate to take care of Veterans from all over Middle TN at the Tennnessee Valley Healthcare System Nashville Campus.  A significant number of Veterans travel long distances and invest time and money in order to visit with us.  We noticed that many patients undergoing "low complexity" operations like removal of gallbladders and repair of groin hernia spend a significant amount of time, energy, and, in some cases, money to travel to our facility for post operative visits relative to the amount of time they spend in their evaluations.  We wanted to look at the quality of and Veteran preference for telehealth visits (phone and video) with the idea that, if feasible, we could implement a telehealth program at our facility. In our small pilot study, 23 Veterans underwent sequential phone, video, and in-person visits.  The Veterans were evaluated on four domains at each visit type: general recovery, follow-up needs, wound care needs, and complications.  We then determined the agreement among the three visit types.  There was 100% agreement across the three visit types in the domains of general recovery and follow-up needs.  Percent agreement for wound needs and complications was 96%, reflecting a possible infection on a phone encounter that was not present on clinic or video assessment.  One Veteran in the sample had a wound infection that was detected by both phone and video and confirmed during the in-person visit.  Importantly, there were no instances in which we failed to detect a wound issue or postoperative complication by phone or video.  We also found an association between preference for telehealth visits and distance traveled, although the majority of Veterans in our study preferred telehealth visitation over traditional face-to-face encounters. We found that over the phone and video visits were not only high quality, but were preferred by our Veterans, especially those living far from our facility.  We have implemented a telehealth program for general surgery post operative follow up at our institution and currently evaluate 3-5 patients a week using telehealth modalities with plans to continue to expand. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Neurological Disorders, Ophthalmology, Vanderbilt / 11.08.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Matthew Schrag MD Department of Neurology Yale University New Haven, Connecticut   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Schrag: Central retinal artery occlusion  (CRAO) is a relatively rare disorder that is caused by interruption of blood flow to the retina, usually by a clot or some other embolus.  Despite around 150 years of research, no compelling treatment has been found for this disease.  Treatment with fibrinolytics has been used experimentally for a long time and some of the results have been encouraging.  The point of the current study was to aggregate all of this observational data and compare how patients withCentral retinal artery occlusion do when treated with fibrinolytics versus when they are treated with other approaches or not treated at all. The biggest surprise in the data was the poor performance of conventional treatments at less than half the recovery rate of patients who were simply left alone.  The literature on treating central retinal artery occlusion with ocular massage, hemodilution or anterior chamber paracentesis has never been particularly compelling, but these treatments were thought to be harmless and are often practiced in the acute management of central retinal artery occlusion.  This new analysis strongly suggests that these interventions may be harmful.  While this data is not perfect (it is retrospective, non-randomized, acquired over long periods of time, etc), for me it raises enough doubt that I think ocular massage, anterior chamber paracentesis and hemodilution should be abandoned as treatments for acute CRAO. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, PLoS, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Vanderbilt / 14.06.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine Anne Potter Wilson Chair in Medicine Director, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center and Danxia Yu, PhD Research Fellow Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville, TN, 37203 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide the most authoritative advice in the US about healthy eating. Higher adherence to the DGA, reflected by a higher Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score, has been found to be associated with lower risk of developing or dying from chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers) in several US studies. However, these studies recruited mostly non-Hispanic white individuals and middle to high income Americans. It has been reported that racial/ethnical background and socioeconomic status may influence food choices and diet quality. However, no previous study has adequately evaluated the association between adherence to the DGA and risk of death due to diseases in racial/ethnical minorities and low-income Americans. Therefore, it is uncertain whether the health benefits of adherence to the current DGA can be generalized to these underserved populations. We analyzed diet and mortality data from the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), a large, prospective cohort study including approximately 85,000 American adults, 40-79 years old, enrolled from 12 southeastern states between 2002 and 2009. Two-thirds of the SCCS participants were African-American and more than half reported an annual household income <$15,000. During a mean follow-up of 6.2 years, we identified 6,906 deaths in the SCCS, including 2,244 from cardiovascular disease, 1,794 from cancer, and 2,550 from other diseases. Using multivariate analysis methods, we found that participants in the top 20% of the HEI score (highest adherence to the DGA) had only about 80% of the risk of death due to any diseases compared with those in the bottom 20% of the HEI score. This protective association was found regardless of sex, race and income levels. (more…)
Author Interviews, Education, Vanderbilt / 06.05.2015

Candace McNaughton, MD MPH Assistant Professor Department of Emergency Medicine Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TNMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Candace McNaughton, MD MPH Assistant Professor Department of Emergency Medicine Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. McNaughton: Heart failure affects more than 5 million Americans, is a frequent cause of hospitalization, and by 2030 is projected to cost as much $70 billion, so there is a lot of interest in helping patients with heart failure manage their condition. Health literacy, or the ability to use and understand healthcare information, is important for all patients, but the stakes are very high for patients with heart failure. Some people who are highly literate or highly educated in other areas may have difficulty reading and understanding healthcare information. Patients with lower health literacy skills may have difficulty communicating with healthcare providers, navigating the healthcare system, recognizing signs of health decline, and knowing when and who to contact when they do become ill. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. McNaughton: To our knowledge, this is the first study in which health literacy was measured by nurses when patients were admitted to the hospital for heart failure. Nurses asked patients three questions about whether they have problems learning about their medical condition, their confidence filling out medical forms, and how often they have someone help them read hospital materials. With these three questions, information about the health literacy level of individual patients can be made easily available their healthcare providers. We found that among 1,379 patients hospitalized for acute heart failure, those with low health literacy had 32% greater risk of death compared to patients with a literacy score of 10 or higher, even after adjusting age, sex, race, insurance status, education, other medical conditions, and how long they were in the hospital.  (more…)
Author Interviews, Endocrinology, Pediatrics, Sleep Disorders, Vanderbilt / 28.02.2015

Dave Kennaway, PhD Professor, Lloyd Cox Senior Research Fellow, Head Circadian Physiology Laboratory School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health Robinson Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School, University of Adelaide AustraliaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dave Kennaway, PhD Professor Lloyd Cox Senior Research Fellow, Head Circadian Physiology Laboratory School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health Robinson Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School, University of Adelaide Australia MedicalResearch: What is the background for this review? What are the main findings? Dr. Kennaway: There is evidence that melatonin is being prescribed to for sleep disorders in children and adolescents who are developing normally despite the fact that there have been no properly designed studies on the effects of prolonged administration to children. In countries where melatonin has been registered, it is for use as a monotherapy for the short term treatment of primary insomnia, characterised by poor quality of sleep in patients who are aged 55 years and over. Use in Paediatrics is always “off-label”. After more than 50 years of melatonin research in animals there is overwhelming evidence that melatonin administration affects many organ systems. These include important effects on the reproductive organs of rodents, cats, ruminants and primates and melatonin is in fact registered as a veterinary drug for this purpose. The effects of melatonin, however, go beyond the potential reproductive consequences, including effects on cardiovascular, immune and metabolic systems. It is clear that many paediatricians, practitioners and parents are unaware of this. MedicalResearch: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. Kennaway: Clinicians and patients need to recognise that melatonin is a hormone and not a drug developed for a specific purpose or illness. There have been no appropriate trials in children addressing the effects of prolonged administration of melatonin in children. Given the extensive literature on the role of the hormone in normal physiology it is unlikely that such trials would ever be approved. Should endocrine or other abnormalities appear in the future in children previously treated with melatonin it will not be tenable to argue that we were surprised. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JAMA, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Vanderbilt / 24.02.2015

Dr. Wei Zheng, MD, PhD Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TennesseeMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Wei Zheng, MD, PhD Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee   Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Wei Zheng: Substantial progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, resulting in a steady improvement in cancer survival. However, the degree of improvement by age, race and sex remains unclear. We quantified the differences in the improvement of cancer survival by race, age, and sex over the last two decades. We used cancer diagnosis and follow-up data from more than 1 million cancer patients, collected in nine SEER registries, to investigate trends in improved survival for seven major cancers in the United States by age, race, and sex between 1990 and 2010. We found that elderly patients experienced a smaller improvement in survival for cancers of the colon/rectum, breast, prostate, lung, and liver than their younger counterparts. In particular, the age-related disparities were most pronounced for those cancers with the greatest advancements in diagnosis and treatment over the past two decades, including cancers of colon/rectum, breast and prostate. African Americans experienced poorer survival than whites for all cancers. Because of a greater improvement in prostate cancer survival in African Americans than for whites, the racial difference in the survival of this cancer decreased during the study period. For ovarian cancer, however, the survival rate declined in African Americans but slightly increased in whites, leading to a wider racial gap in the survival of this deadly cancer. No apparent disparities in survival improvement by sex were noted. (more…)
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Hospital Acquired, Vanderbilt / 21.01.2015

Michael Noto, MD, PhD Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael Noto, MD, PhD Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Noto: Health care-associated infections are the most common complication for hospitalized patients and several studies have suggested that bathing critically ill patients with the antimicrobial chlorhexidine reduces health care-associated infections.  In the largest study of chlorhexidine bathing to date, however, we were unable to demonstrate a reduction in infections. (more…)
Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt / 09.12.2014

Dr. Julia Lewis, MD, Lead Investigator Nephrologist and Professor of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Julia Lewis, MD, Lead Investigator Nephrologist and Professor of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Lewis: The 48-week Open Label Extension (OLE) study for Auryxia™ (ferric citrate) was conducted to determine long term safety following the Phase 3 52-week active-control period. The study also evaluated changes in serum phosphorus, transferrin saturation (TSAT), serum ferritin, hemoglobin, hematocrit and additional parameters, as well as intravenous (IV) iron and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) usage. In the OLE study, Auryxia demonstrated long-term safety in dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The results were consistent with those seen in the published pivotal Phase 3 trial. The study demonstrated that the adverse events (AE’s) profile of Auryxia was similar to that seen in the Phase 3 52-week active-control period. AEs occurred in 142 patients treated with Auryxia. They were primarily non-serious gastrointestinal (GI) - related AE’s, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and constipation. Serious adverse events occurred in 75 patients, though none were related to Auryxia. In addition, there were no clinically or statistically significant differences in liver enzymes or aluminum levels observed from baseline to the end of the 48 weeks. Similar to the original trial, we witnessed excellent phosphorus control with the drug, along with an increase and then a plateau in serum ferritin and TSAT levels with Auryxia. The plateauing of serum ferritin and TSAT further supports iron absorption is highly regulated by the gastrointestinal track as seen in the 52-week active control period. This suggests that the body absorbs iron as needed for effective erythropoiesis. Additionally, iron store increases from ferric citrate resulted in, by the end of the extension study, 85% of subjects not using any IV iron. We presented this data at the 2014 American Society of Nephrology Meeting. The abstract can be found online at www.asn-online.org. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, JAMA, Surgical Research, Vanderbilt / 20.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Kristy Lynn Kummerow MD Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery Vanderbilt University Medical Center Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center Nashville, Tenn Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Kummerow: This study looked at how we are currently treating early stage breast cancer in the US – early stage breast cancer includes small cancers with limited or no lymph node involvement and no spread to other body site – it was prompted by something we observed an our own cancer center, which is that more and more women seem to be undergoing more extensive operations than are necessary to treat their cancer.  It is helpful to understand the historical context of how we treat early breast cancer.  Prior to the 1980s, the standard of care for any breast cancer was a very extensive procedure, which involved removal of the entire breast, as well as underlying and overlying tissues and multiple levels of lymph nodes drained by that area.  Informative clinical trials were completed in the 1980s demonstrated that these extensive procedures were unnecessary, and that equivalent survival could be achieved with a much more minimal operation, by removing only the tumor, with a margin of normal breast tissue around it, and performing radiation therapy to the area; this technique is now known as breast conservation surgery, also known as lumpectomy with radiation.  In the 1990s, breast conservation was established by the national institutes of health and was embraced as a standard of care for early stage breast cancer; performance of breast conservation surgery also became a quality metric – accredited breast centers in the US are expected to perform breast conservation surgery in the majority of women who they treat for breast cancer.  However, what our research team observed at our institution didn’t fit – over time it appears more aggressive surgical approaches are being used for more women.  This has been found in other institutions as well, and is supported by smaller national studies.  We wanted to understand how surgical management of early breast cancer is changing over time at a national level using the largest data set of cancer patients in the United States. (more…)
Author Interviews, CDC, Infections, Pediatrics, Vaccine Studies, Vanderbilt / 07.11.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marie R Griffin MD MPH Director, Vanderbilt MPH Program Department of Health Policy Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN 37212 Marie R Griffin MD MPH Director, Vanderbilt MPH Program Department of Health Policy Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN 37212 Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Griffin: In Tennessee, the introduction in 2010 of a new pneumococcal vaccine for infants and young children was associated with a 27 percent decline in pneumonia hospital admissions across the state among children under age 2. The recent decline in Tennessee comes on top of an earlier 43 percent decline across the United States associated with the introduction in 2000 of the first pneumococcal vaccine for children under 2 years of age. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Diabetes, Genetic Research, Nature, Vanderbilt / 23.07.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Qiuyin Cai, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Cai: We conducted a genome-wide association study in East Asians to search for additional genetic changes that are linked to breast cancer development. The study was conducted as part of the Asia Breast Cancer Consortium, which includes 22,780 women with breast cancer and 24,181 control subjects. We found DNA sequence changes in two genes, PRC1 and ZC3H11A, and a change near the ARRDC3 gene were associated with breast cancer risk. These results were also replicated in a large consortium, including 16,003 breast cancer cases and 41,335 control subjects of European ancestry. (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Heart Disease, JAMA, Vanderbilt / 10.06.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Christianne L. Roumie, MD MPH Associate Professor Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Institute for Medicine and Public Health Vanderbilt University Staff Physician VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Nashville TN 37212MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Christianne L. Roumie, MD MPH Associate Professor Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Institute for Medicine and Public Health Vanderbilt University Staff Physician VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Nashville TN 37212 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Roumie: This retrospective cohort study compared time to acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, or death among Veterans with diabetes that were initially treated with metformin, and subsequently added either insulin or sulfonylurea. Among 178,341 Veterans on metformin monotherapy, 2,948 and 39,990 added insulin or sulfonylurea, respectively. Patients were about 60 years old, about 35% had history of heart disease or stroke, had been on metformin for an average of 14 months and their hemoglobin A1c was 8.1% at the time of addition of the second medication. Compared to those who added a sulfonylurea, those who added insulin to metformin had a 30% higher risk of the combined outcome of heart attack, stroke, and all-cause mortality. Although new heart attacks and strokes occurred at similar rates in both groups, mortality was higher in patients who added insulin. (more…)
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Pediatrics, Vanderbilt, Weight Research / 19.03.2014

Dr. Eliana M. Perrin, MD, MPH Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, and Director, Office of Research Development University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Associate Professor Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7225MedicalResearch.com Interview Invitation with: Dr. Eliana M. Perrin, MD, MPH Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, and Director, Office of Research Development University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  and Associate Professor Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7225 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Perrin: The study included a large, diverse sample of 863 low-income parents of two-month-olds participating in Greenlight, an obesity prevention trial taking place at four medical centers: UNC, New York University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Miami.  Among all of the parents, behaviors that are thought to be related to later obesity were highly prevalent. Exclusive formula feeding was more than twice as common (45 percent) as exclusive breastfeeding (19 percent). Twelve percent had already introduced solid food, 43 percent put infants to bed with bottles, 23 percent propped bottles instead of holding the bottle by hand (which can result in overfeeding), 20 percent always fed when the infant cried, and 38 percent always tried to get their children to finish their milk.  In addition, 90 percent of the infants were exposed to television and 50 percent actively watched TV (meaning parents put their children in front of the television in order to watch).  There were differences in these behaviors by race and ethnicity, and study results show that culturally-tailored counseling should be offered to parents of different backgrounds who may feed and play with their children differently. (more…)
Compliance, Diabetes, Diabetes Care, Vanderbilt / 15.03.2014

Chandra Y. Osborn, PhD, MPH Assistant Professor of Medicine & Biomedical Informatics Division of General Internal Medicine & Public Health Center for Health Services Research Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN 37232-8300MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chandra Y. Osborn, PhD, MPH Assistant Professor of Medicine & Biomedical Informatics Division of General Internal Medicine & Public Health Center for Health Services Research Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN 37232-8300 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of your study? Dr. Osborn:  We found that knowing how to take your diabetes medications (e.g., what to do if a dose is missed), believing medications are good for you, and having the appropriate skills to take them regardless of the situation (e.g., when life is busy, when in public) accounts for 41% of why people successfully take their diabetes medications, which, in turn, explains 9% of their glycemic control. (more…)
General Medicine, Vanderbilt / 10.02.2014

Dr. Scott L. Zuckerman, MD Department of Neurological Surgery Vanderbilt Sports Concussion CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Scott L. Zuckerman, MD Department of Neurological Surgery Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Zuckerman: Our study evaluated 244 athletes who suffered sports-related concussion (SRC), 122 males and 122 females, and assessed for gender differences in number, severity, and resolution of post-concussive symptoms using reliable change index (RCI) methodology applied to days to return to symptom baseline. Both groups were matched on number of prior concussions, age, and days to first post-concussion assessment, which consisted of the 22 symptom Post Concussion Symptom Checklist  from the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) evaluation tool. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, Social Issues, Vanderbilt / 10.10.2013

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

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Hiroko Masuda MD

Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic; Departments of 2Breast Medical Oncology, 3Bioinformatics and Computational Biology The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas;

W. Fraser Symmans, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Unit 85, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030-4009;

Naoto T. Ueno, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 1354, Houston, TX 77030.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Answer: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) could be classified into 7 subtypes: basal-like 1 (BL1), basal-like 2 (BL2), immunomodulatory (IM), mesenchymal (M),mesenchymal stem-like (MSL), luminal androgen receptor (LAR), and unstable (UNS). Using cluster analysis, Lehmann and Bauer et al. identified these TNBC subtypes in 21 public mRNA gene expression profiles of breast cancer. However, the clinical relevancy of these novel molecular subtypes has not been established. To establish the clinical relevancy, we determined if the subtypes of TNBC have different rates of pathological complete response (pCR) to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens. In this study, we confirmed that TNBC is heterogeneous and that pCR differs by TNBC subtype using the algorithm proposed by Lehmann and Bauer et al. The BL1 subtype had the highest pCR rate (52%), and BL2 and LAR had the lowest pCR rates (0% and 10%, respectively). TNBC subtype was an independent predictor of pCR status (P=0.022) via a likelihood ratio test. To our knowledge, this was the first study to show that the TNBC subtype can serve as an independent predictor of pCR status in patients who received standard chemotherapy regimens. This confirms the possible clinical relevance of the 7 molecular subtypes, and these subtypes may lead to innovative clinical trials of personalized medicine for patients with TNBC. (more…)

Annals Thoracic Surgery, Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Transplantation, Vanderbilt / 12.08.2013

Simon Maltais MD PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center Division of Cardiovascular Surgery 1215 21st Ave S, MCE 5th Flr Nashville, TN 37232-8808.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Simon Maltais MD PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center Division of Cardiovascular Surgery 1215 21st Ave S, MCE 5th Flr Nashville, TN 37232-8808. MedicalResearch.com: What did your study evaluate and why is this important? Answer: We performed a rigorous, retrospective review of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) data base to evaluate donor, recipient, and technical characteristics associated with graft survival in patients undergoing mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device explantation at the time of heart transplantation surgery. Donor and recipient characteristics has been well described in the medical literature for routine heart transplantation, however these characteristics in patients who were supported with a long term MCS device at the time of heart transplant was not known.  Additionally, due to chronic donor heart shortages, an increasing number of patients with advanced heart failure are being bridged with MSC devices until a suitable donor heart can be obtained. (more…)