Medical Research Journals
01 Sep Heart Attack: Antiplatelet Use in Ambulance May Decrease Stent Thrombosis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gilles Montalescot M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Cardiology
University of Paris VI; Director, Cardiac Care Unit
Institute of Cardiology, Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital
Paris, France
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Montalescot : Among the 1862 patients with ongoing STEMI who were enrolled in the ATLANTIC study, we found no difference between those randomized to pre-hospital (in-ambulance) ticagrelor 180 mg and those randomized to in-hospital (in-catheterization laboratory) ticagrelor 180 mg in terms of either pre-PCI ST-segment elevation resolution (≥70%) or pre-PCI TIMI 3 flow in the culprit artery, which were the co-primary endpoints. There was also no difference between the groups in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events at 30 days, with the exception that rates of definite stent thrombosis were lower in the pre-hospital ticagrelor group than in the in-hospital group, both in the first 24 hours (0% versus 0.8%, p= 0.008) and at 30 days (0.2% versus 1.2%, p = 0.02). The safety of pre-hospital ticagrelor did not appear to be an issue, since the incidence of non-CABG-related major bleeding was low and similar in both treatment groups, whichever bleeding definition was used (PLATO, TIMI, STEEPLE, GUSTO, ISTH or BARC).
31 Aug Type 1 Diabetes: New Model Predicts Major Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Sabita Soedamah-Muthu Division of Human Nutrition,Wageningen University Wageningen, the Netherlands and Prof Trevor Orchard Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We present a new prognostic model combining information on age, glycated haemoglobin, waist-hip ratio, albumin/creatinine ratio and HDL (good) cholesterol to assess the 3, 5 and 7 year risk of developing major outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes.31 Aug COPPS-2 Evaluates Colchicine Pre-Cardiac Surgery To Prevent AFib and Effusions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Massimo Imazio on behalf of the COPPS-2 Investigators
Massimo Imazio. MD, FESC
Dipartimento di Cardiologia/Cardiology Department
Maria Vittoria Hospital and University of Torino
Torino, Italia
Medical Research: What is the background for this investigation?
Dr. Imazio: Post-pericardiotomy syndrome, post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF), and post-operative effusions may be responsible for increased morbidity and healthcare costs after cardiac surgery. Postoperative use of colchicine prevented these complications in a single trial (the COPPS trial published on EHJ in 2010).
Here all events occurred within 3 months and colchicine was given after cardiac surgery starting from postoperative day 3 for 1 month. However most postoperative AF events are reported in the first 3 days and thus pre-treatment with colchicine may give better outcomes. Thus we performed the COPPS-2 giving colchicine 48 to 72 hours before surgery for 1 month without a loading dose and weight adjusted doses (i.e. 0.5 mg twice daily for patients >70kg or 0.5 mg once for patients <70Kg) in order to improve patients compliance.The Colchicine for Prevention of the Post-pericardiotomy Syndrome and post-operative atrial fibrillation (COPPS-2 trial) is an investigator-initiated, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. A total of 360 consecutive candidates for cardiac surgery, 180 for each arm, were enrolled in 11 Italian centers between March 2012 and March 2014. Main exclusion criteria were absence of sinus rhythm at enrollment, cardiac transplantation, and contraindications to .
30 Aug New Angiotensin–Neprilysin Inhibitor Bests Enalapril for Heart Failure
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
John J.V. McMurray, M.D
Professor of Medical Cardiology
British Heart Foundation,
Cardiovascular Research Centre
University of Glasgow,
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. McMurray: That compared to an evidence-based dose of an evidence-based ACE inhibitor (enalapril 10 mg bid), LCZ696 reduced the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization by 20%, both the components of that composite and all-cause mortality (the latter by 16%) - all reductions are highly statistically significant and clinically important. LCZ696 treated patients also reported fewer symptoms and physical limitations due to heart failure. We think this is a remarkable finding - to beat what has been the gold-standard, cornerstone, therapy for around 25 years. The findings show conclusively that adding neprilysin inhibition to renin-angiotensin system blockade is superior to renin-angiotensin system blockade alone in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction .
30 Aug CPAP Effective In Elderly Sleep Apnea Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Mary J Morrell Faculty of Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute Professor of Sleep & Respiratory Physiology Imperial College, London Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Morrell: Our results showed that when older patients with obstructive sleep apnea were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) they had significantly less daytime sleepiness than those not treated with CPAP. A comparison of the costs and benefits of treatment suggested that CPAP would meet the usual criteria for being funded by the NHS.30 Aug Standardized Tobacco Packaging Did Not Change Purchasing Habits
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michelle Scollo Senior policy adviser, Tobacco Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Each November the Cancer Council Victoria conducts a survey asking smokers about their tobacco purchasing habits and smoking attitudes, intentions and behaviours. This study compared what smokers said about where and what they purchased in:- November 2011, a year before the introduction of world-first legislation mandating standardized packaging of tobacco products throughout Australia
- In November 2012, while the new plain packs were being rolled out onto the market and
- In November 2013 one year later.
29 Aug CHEST Consensus Statement: Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters
Posted at 18:46h
in Author Interviews, CHEST, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Ebola, General Medicine
The American College of Chest Physicians released an expert consensus statement, Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters
while the global health-care community cares for patients with the Ebola virus.Three of the authors discussed this important statement with MedicalResearch.com.
Asha V. Devereaux, MD, MPH
Sharp Hospital
Coronado, CA
Jeffrey R. Dichter, MD
Allina Health, Minneapolis, MN
and Aurora Health, Milwaukee, WI
Niranjan Kissoon, MBBS, FRCP(C)
BC Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Medical Research: What are the main ethical concerns and criteria for evaluating who may be eligible for treatment during a pandemic or disaster?
Dr. Asha Devereaux: The main ethical concerns regarding eligibility for treatment during a pandemic will be access to limited or scarce resources. Who should get treatment and who decides will be some significant questions whenever there is a scarcity of healthcare resources. Transparency and the fairness of the ethical framework for decision-making will need to be made public and updated based upon the changing dynamics of resources and disease process.
Dr. Niranjan Kissoon: There is work to be done in this area and engagement of citizens, government, medical community, ethicists and legal experts in the process is important.
28 Aug Photodynamic Therapy Removed More Actinic Keratoses Than Cryotherapy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gayatri Patel, MD, MPH
Division of General Medicine
UC Davis Medical Center
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Patel: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we sought to determine the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of actinic keratoses relative to other common treatments. We included only randomized controlled trials and preformed a meta-analysis on homogenous studies. The primary finding of the study was that PDT has a better chance of removing actinic keratoses on the face or scalp than treatment with cryotherapy.
28 Aug Shorter Telomeres Associated With Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Philip Haycock, PhD Post-Doctoral Research Assistant MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit University of Bristol Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Haycock: We found that shorter telomeres were significantly associated with risk of coronary heart disease and that the association was independent of conventional vascular risk factors, including age, sex, body mass index, smoking, history of diabetes, blood pressure and lipid markers.28 Aug Perioperative Bundles Can Reduce Surgical Site Infections
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Christopher Mantyh, M.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery
Chief of Colorectal Surgery
NSQIP Surgical Champion
Duke University Medical Center
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Mantyh: Specific perioperative bundles can drastically reduce surgical site infections in colorectal surgery patients.
28 Aug Bariatric Surgery May Improve Brain Metabolism In Obese Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Cintia Cercato, MD, PhD and Emerson Leonildo Marques University of São Paulo in Brazil Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The major findings are that the cerebral metabolism of the obese compared to normal weight people is increasing. The fact that it can be increased means a greater chance of Alzheimer's disease, but bariatric surgery can reduce cerebral metabolism of obese.28 Aug Pediatric Leukemia Patients Admitted On Weekends At Greater Risk Of Adverse Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Elizabeth Goodman BA Division of Oncology The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Weekend hospital admission for pediatric patients newly diagnosed with leukemia was associated with a longer length of stay, slightly longer wait to start chemotherapy and higher risk for respiratory failure; however, weekend admissions were not linked to an increased risk for death.27 Aug MERS Transmission To Family Contacts Low
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ziad A. Memish, M.D. Alfaisal University Riyadh Saudi Arabia Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Memish: This is an important study as we looked at the secondary transmission of MERS-CoV among household/family contacts. Of the total study population of 280 contacts from 26 clusters collected over 6 months period last year, only 12 family contacts were positive for MERS-CoV. Knowing that 7 (2.5%) were positive by PCR, only additional 5 probable secondary transmission were identified by serology which is a very small fraction missed by PCR.27 Aug Two Forms of Polycythemia Vera: One Indolent, One Aggressive
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jerry Spivak, M.D
Professor of Medicine and Oncology
Director, Center for the Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders
John Hopkins Medicine
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Spivak: The main findings of this study are that polycythemia vera occurs in two clinical forms: an indolent form in which only phlebotomy may be necessary and a more aggressive form requiring myelosuppressive therapy and that these two forms of the disease can be distinguished genetically.
27 Aug Sulfonylurea For Diabetes Linked To Increased Heart Disease Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Frank B. Hu
Department of Nutrition
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, MA
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Hu: in this study among approximately 5000 patients with type 2 diabetes followed for up to 10 years, longer duration of sulfonylurea therapy was associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease. The continuous sulfonylurea therapy for 10 years was associated with almost two times greater risk of coronary heart disease compared with nonusers. However, given the observational nature of the study, we cannot make causal inference from these findings.
27 Aug Only 4% of US Stroke Patients Receive Approved Medication tPA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Opeolu Adeoye, MD MS FACEP FAHA
Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine and Neurosurgery
Division of Neurocritical Care
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45267
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Adeoye : Despite adequate access of the US population to hospitals that can deliver acute stroke care, only 4% of stroke patients in the US received tPA, the only approved medication for treating acute ischemic stroke.
27 Aug Children of Bipolar Parents Have Increased Novelty-Seeking and Impulsivity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Manpreet K. Singh, MD MS Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Singh: Our research team used a monetary incentive delay paradigm to measure fronto-limbic activity and connectivity associated with anticipation and receipt of reward and loss in healthy offspring of parents with bipolar I disorder. We found that compared to youth offspring without any family history of psychopathology, high-risk offspring had aberrant prefrontal and cingulate activations and connectivity during reward processing. Further, greater striatal, amygdalar, and insula activations while anticipating and receiving rewards and losses were associated with greater novelty-seeking and impulsivity traits in high-risk youth.27 Aug Blood Pressure Control Improved By Patient Self-Management
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Prof Richard McManus MA PhD FRCGP
NIHR School for Primary Care Research,
Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health
Sciences, University of Oxford,
Oxford, Oxfordshire United Kingdom
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Prof. McManus: The TASMIN-SR clinical trial followed 552 patients with an average age of 70 and high blood pressure with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
After training in how to self-monitor blood pressuring using a readily available device, patients took readings twice each morning for the first week of each month, and following an individualised management plan were able to request additional medication from their general practitioner without the need for consultation.
At the end of the study, patients who self-managed had significantly lower blood pressure (by 9.2 / 3.4 mmHg) than those who were visiting their GP for blood pressure monitoring, which would be expected to lower stroke risk by around 30% if sustained.
27 Aug STDs Reduced in Young Girls Through Telephone Counseling
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Ralph Joseph Diclemente PhD
Behavoral Sciences & Health School Of Public Health
Emory University Atlanta Georgia
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. DiClemente: In our study of 701 African American girls we observed significant and durable reductions in laboratory-confirmed sexually transmitted infections (50% reduction in chlamydial infections and a 60% reduction in gonorrhea) among girls in our intervention group relative to the comparison condition over a 36-month follow-up period. In addition, we observed significant increases in condom use during sex and reductions in sex while using drugs or alcohol. The key finding is the durability of the results - 3 years in the life of an adolescent is a long period.
26 Aug EKG Changes Identify Older Adults At Risk of Heart Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Peter Godsk Jørgensen Copenhagen City Heart Study Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark Medical Research: What are the main findings of your study? Dr. Jørgensen: In the coming decades, a larger and larger proportion of the population will be aged 65 years or above. At present, no risk prediction models have been developed specifically for estimation of risk in this population. ECG changes are easily recognized and identify subclinical signs of end-organ disease. Our data reveal that not only are ECG changes a very frequent finding that independently predicts cardiovascular disease, they significantly improve risk prediction when added to the most used European and US risk models. Thus, our data demonstrate that adding ECG changes will correctly reclassify more than one third of the persons aged 65 years and above without cardiovascular disease.26 Aug Coronary Stents and Elective PCI Rates Vary By Hospital
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Steven M. Bradley, MD, MPH
Veterans Affairs, Eastern Colorado Health CareSystem
Denver, Colorado
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Bradley: In 539 hospitals participating in the CathPCI Registry that performed elective coronary angiography on more than 500,000 patients, 22% of patients were asymptomatic at the time of coronary angiography. We observed marked variation in the hospital rate of angiography performed in asymptomatic patients, ranging from 0.2% to 66.5%, suggesting broad variation in the quality of patient selection for coronary angiography across hospitals. Additionally, hospitals with higher rates of asymptomatic patients at diagnostic angiography also had higher rates of inappropriate PCI, due to greater use of PCI in asymptomatic patients. These findings suggest that patient selection for diagnostic angiography is associated with the quality of patient selection for PCI as determined by Appropriate Use Criteria. By addressing patient selection upstream of the catheterization laboratory, we may improve on the optimal use of both angiography and PCI.
26 Aug New Drug Bedaquiline Effective Against Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Medical Research Interview with: Brian Dannemann, MD, FACP Senior Director, JNJ Pharmaceutical Research and Development Titusville, NJ 08560 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Dannemann : The final investigational 120-week results from the TMC207-C208 Phase 2 study demonstrated that bedaquiline (SIRTURO®) showed nearly twice an many patients in the bedaquiline group as in the placebo group were cured on the basis of the World Health Organization (WHO) outcome definitions for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis which was statistically significant (38 of 66 patients [58%] and 21 of 66 patients [32%] respectively; p = 0.003).26 Aug Patients Often Misinformed About Benefits of PCI for Heart Attack Prevention
MedicalResearch Interview with:
Michael B. Rothberg, MD, MPH
Department of Internal Medicine
Medicine Institute, Vice Chair for Research
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Rothberg: In this randomized study we found that when people are presented with no information about the benefits of elective PCI, most assumed that it would prevent a heart attack. Unfortunately, this is incorrect, so people may choose to have the procedure based on false information. We also found that simply telling them that PCI would not prevent a heart attack successfully dispelled this belief for most, but not all, participants. Explaining why PCI does not prevent heart attacks in this circumstance was the most effective way to change people's beliefs. We also found that most people were willing to take medications, but when they were told that PCI does not prevent heart attacks, they were more likely to agree to medication.
25 Aug Study Questions Supplemental Vitamin D for Heart Disease Prevention
MedicalResearch.com Interview with Esther Ooi & Børge G Nordestgaard, MD, DMSc Professor, University of Copenhagen Chief Physician, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital Dept. Clinical Biochemistry Herlev Ringvej 75, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Our findings suggest that low 25(OH)D levels observationally is simply a marker for elevated atherogenic lipoproteins, and thus question a role for vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.24 Aug Non-White Diabetics Have Higher Incidence of Early Kidney Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Satyesh K Sinha, PhD
Assistant Professor
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles, CA-90059
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Sinha: Our main finding is that compared to Whites, African Americans (AAs) and Hispanics, with diabetes, have a higher prevalence of early chronic kidney disease (CKD) which is significantly associated with urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and/or C-reactive protein (CRP).
22 Aug Diabetic Lifestyle Interventions Reduced Hospitalizations, Medications and Costs
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Mark A. Espeland PhD Professor
Department of Biostatistics
Sticht Center on Aging Center for Diabetes Research
WFU Primate Center Center for Integrative Medicine
Translational Science Institute
Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Espeland : Over 10 years, overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes who were provided a lifestyle intervention targeting sustained weight loss and increased physical activity, lowered their rates of hospitalizations and medication use and reduced the costs of their health care by over $5,000.
22 Aug Fraility, Not Age Determines Surgical Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Dr. Bellal Joseph MD FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery
Medical Director, Southern Arizona Telemedicine and Telepresence (SATT) Program
Program Director, International Research Fellowship
Liaison, Multi-Specialty Surgery Clinic at UAMC
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Joseph: Chronologic age is frequently used as the determinant of outcomes when treating elderly and treatments are tailored accordingly. However, the findings of our study challenge this dogma and suggest that it’s not the chronologic age rather frailty status of the individual that determines outcomes. We found frailty Index (quantitative measure of frailty) as a better predictor of in-hospital complications and discharge disposition in elderly compared to the chronologic age.
22 Aug Closing in On Effective Treatment for RSV Virus Infections
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
John DeVincenzo, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Infectious Diseases
Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry
University of Tennessee School of Medicine.
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Memphis, Tennessee
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. DeVincenzo: The main findings are
- a) This is the first time that anyone has shown that the infection caused by the RSV virus can be effectively reduced in a human after the infection has already started.
- b) We also show for the first time that once we reduce the amount of virus in the patient, that very quickly, they start to feel better. This clinical improvement was not expected to occur so rapidly.
- c) The antiviral appeared safe and it was easy to give.
21 Aug Atrial Fibrillation Risk Lower In Postmenopausal Women Who Exercise
Posted at 10:41h
in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Gender Differences, Heart Disease, Stanford
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Marco Perez, MD
Instructor in Cardiovascular Medicine
Director, Inherited Cardiac Arrhythmia Clinic
Stanford University Medical Center
Cardiac Electrophysiology & Arrhythmia Service
Stanford, CA 94305-5233
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Perez: It was already known that obesity is an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation. We studied over 80,000 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative who were followed for the onset of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm associated with stroke and death. We found that those who exercised more than 9 MET-hours/week (equivalent to a brisk walk of 30 minutes six days a week) were 10% less likely to get atrial fibrillation than those who were sedentary. Importantly, the more obese the women were, the more they benefited from the exercise in terms of atrial fibrillation risk reduction.