Medical Research Journals
08 Jan Head Injuries Common Among Electric Scooter Riders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52671" align="alignleft" width="179"]
Dr. Breyer[/caption]
Benjamin N. Breyer MD, MAS, FACS
Associate Professor
Departments of Urology and Epidemiology and Biostatistics
University of California, San Francisco
Vice-Chair of Urology
Chief of Urology, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
Director, UCSF Male Genitourinary Reconstruction and Trauma Surgery Fellowship
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There has been a large increase in upright scooter usage among adults as a mode of transportation. It's convenient for commuters and may encourage greater use of public transit leading to less car traffic in cities.
08 Jan Just Training for a Marathon Can Reverse Some Cardiovascular Aging
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52632" align="alignleft" width="80"] Dr. Manisty[/caption]
Dr Charlotte Manisty PhD MRCP
Senior Lecturer Consultant Cardiologist
Barts Heart Centre and University College
University College Hospitals, London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The normal ageing process results in vascular stiffening which in turn contributes to adverse cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes. We know that trained athletes have more compliant blood vessels than their peers, and previous small studies of supervised exercise training have shown that such interventions can reduce blood pressure.
We aimed to assess the impact of unsupervised exercise training on cardiovascular physiology in novice runners preparing for a first-time marathon using advanced noninvasive imaging in order to better understand whether it is possible to ‘reverse’ vascular ageing.
06 Jan Very Few Youth Receive Recommended Treatment After Opioid Overdose
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52629" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Alinsky[/caption]
Rachel H. Alinsky, MD, MPH
Adolescent Medicine and Addiction Medicine Fellow
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We know that over 4,000 adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15-24 are dying from an opioid overdose every year. Nonfatal opioid overdose has been identified as a potential touchpoint with the healthcare system when individuals can be drawn into treatment, yet very little is known about health care use following opioid overdose in youth. We were interested in figuring out the extent to which adolescents and young adults are receiving evidence-based treatment after an opioid overdose.
06 Jan Meth-Related Overdoses May Continue to Accelerate
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52664" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Dawson[/caption]
Dr. Eric Dawson, PharmD
Vice President, Clinical Affairs
Millennium Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has projected a drop in the number of overdose deaths for 2018; the first reported decline since 1990. They cite a decrease in prescription opioid deaths as the leading contributor to the overall reduction, but caution that deaths associated with synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, as well as stimulants appear to be increasing.
In 2019, we reported a 798% increase in urine drug test positivity rates for nonprescribed fentanyl among results positive for methamphetamine and an 1850% increase among results positive for cocaine. In an effort to conduct ongoing surveillance of the polysubstance use landscape and help characterize these evolving trends in a more timely manner, we examined our UDT data as close to real-time as possible to observe trends in positivity for methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, with and without illicit fentanyl.
05 Jan Scientists Discover Another Pathway of Allergic Contact Dermatitis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52636" align="alignleft" width="180"] Dr. Moody[/caption]
Dr. D. Branch Moody, MD
Principal Investigator
Associate Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Is the CD1a molecule found on the skin's Langerhans cells?
Response: With increasing industrialization worldwide, people apply cosmetics and other consumer products to the skin, leading to contact dermatitis, which is becoming increasingly common. Immunologists know that T cells participate in dermatitis reactions. However, T cells usually recognize and respond to antigens that are peptides rather than the non-peptide antigens that cause contact dermatitis.
05 Jan Female Surgeons Face Reproductive Hazards in the Operating Room
Posted at 16:54h
in Author Interviews, Gender Differences, JAMA, Occupational Health, Surgical Research
[caption id="attachment_52648" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Anderson[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Matilda Anderson MBBS MBS
General Surgery Trainee/Public Health/Researcher
Footscray, Victoria, Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Female representation in the surgical workforce is increasing. Previous studies have shown higher infertility rates and adverse pregnancy outcomes in this population. We aimed to accurately define the available research in this area and provide some basic recommendations about how workplaces can support their female surgical residents and surgeons.
On a more personal note- Dr Anderson is a female surgical resident and have seen countless pregnant colleagues remove themselves from operating rooms with the concern about how the conditions may affect their pregnancies. Dr. Anderson met Associate Professor Goldman at Harvard University (a leading expert on occupational reproductive hazards) and collaborated to explore this area further.
02 Jan Intermittent Fasting Effects on Health, Aging, and Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52623" align="alignleft" width="230"] Dr. Mattson[/caption]
Mark P. Mattson, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The usual eating pattern of most people in modern societies is breakfast, lunch, dinner plus a snack(s) every day. Animals used for most biomedical research – rats and mice – are usually fed ‘ad libitum’ (food is always available for them to eat). During the past 25 years, myself and the many scientists who trained in my laboratory discovered that when rats or mice are fed intermittently such that they have no food every other day or eat only during a 4-6 hour time period each day, their overall health improves in many ways. Animals on such intermittent fasting (IF) regimens exhibit signs of slowed aging and they live much longer than those fed ad libitum.
The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine invited me and Rafa de Cabo (a former postdoc in my laboratory at the National Institute on Aging) to write this review article for two main reasons. First, there have been a sufficient number of studies demonstrating the health benefits of IF in humans and knowledge of the underlying mechanisms to justify a review article. Second, many physicians are being asked about IF by their patients and the physicians are not privy as to if they should recommend IF and how to prescribe specific IF eating patterns and follow-up to increase the likelihood that the patient will be successful in changing their eating pattern.
02 Jan Paternal BMI Affects Infants’s Birth Weight
Posted at 22:20h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics, Weight Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52619" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Isganaitis[/caption]
Elvira Isganaitis, M.D., M.P.H.
Pediatric Endocrinologist, Joslin Diabetes Center
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA 02215
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The concept that a mother's nutrition prior to and during pregnancy is important for health outcomes in the offspring is now well accepted. For example, women intending to get pregnant must take prenatal vitamins, and are encouraged to attain a healthy weight before conception. However, much less is known about how a father's nutritional status may influence childhood health outcomes. Based on studies in animals, exposure to undernutrition, high-fat diet, or stressful experiences in fathers can result in increased risk of obesity and diabetes in the offspring. These effects are mediated in part by epigenetic mechanisms (i.e. changes in gene expression due to differences in DNA methylation, histones, or other non-genetic mechanisms).
02 Jan Atrial Fibrillation and Alcohol Abstinence
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52609" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Kistler[/caption]
Professor Peter M Kistler MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Head of Clinical Electrophysiology Research
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Head of Electrophysiology at The Alfred hospital
Professor of Medicine
University of Melbourne.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is a well known association between alcohol intake and atrial fibrillation form population based studies which demonstrate that for every 1 standard drink the incidence of AFib increases by 8%.
This is the first randomised study to determine of alcohol reduction/abstinence leads to a reduction in AFib episodes and time to recurrence.
30 Dec Do Consumers Consider Religious Affiliation of Health Care Systems?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52591" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Guiahi[/caption]
Maryam Guiahi MD, MSc
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Colorado
Denver School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The composition of the U.S health care system is shifting; between 2001 to 2016 the number of Catholic-owned or affiliated health facilities grew by 22% in contrast to the overall number of acute care hospitals that decreased by 6% and the number of other nonprofit religious hospitals that decreased by 38%.
This is relevant as Catholic health care systems enforce religious directives that restrict many aspects of reproductive care and certain aspects of end-of-life care. Yet little is known about the extent to which U.S. patients consider religious affiliation when selecting a health care facility.
28 Dec Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Colchicine after Myocardial Infarction
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52605" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Tardif[/caption]
Jean-Claude Tardif CM, MD, FRCPC, FCCS, FACC, FAHA, FESC, FCAHS
Director, Montrel Heart Institute Research Center
Professor of medicine
Canada Research Chair in translational and personalized medicine
University of Montreal endowed research chair in atherosclerosis
Montreal Heart Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Inflammation appears to play an important role in atherosclerosis. Inhibition of interleukin-1ß by canakinumab reduced the rate of cardiovascular events by 15% CANTOS. In contrast, methotrexate did not affect cardiovascular outcomes or plasma markers of inflammation in CIRT. Colchicine is an inexpensive, orally administered, potent anti-inflammatory medication that has been used for centuries. Colchicine is currently indicated for the management of patients with gout, familial Mediterranean fever and pericarditis. In the LODOCO study, patients with stable coronary disease treated with colchicine 0.5 mg once daily experienced fewer cardiovascular events as compared with those not receiving colchicine. However, that study enrolled only 532 patients and was not placebo-controlled. Because acute coronary syndromes are associated with higher risks of recurrent events and exacerbated inflammation, we conducted the COLchicine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (COLCOT) in patients with a recent myocardial infarction to evaluate the effects of colchicine on cardiovascular outcomes and its long-term safety and tolerability.
28 Dec Insomnia: Lemborexant With Placebo vs Zolpidem Tartrate Extended Release
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52595" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Moline[/caption]
Margaret Moline, PhD
Lemborexant International Program Lead and Global Medical Lead
Executive Director, Neurology Business Group
Eisai, Inc.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
This study, called SUNRISE 1, is one of two pivotal Phase 3 studies in the lemborexant clinical development program that supported the recent FDA approval of DAYVIGO (lemborexant).
- On December 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DAYVIGO (lemborexant) 5 mg and 10 mg, an orexin receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia, which is characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance.1
- DAYVIGO will be commercially available following scheduling by the DEA, which is expected to occur within 90 days.
- SUNRISE 1 was a one-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled, multi-center, parallel-group clinical trial in adult female patients age 55 and older and male patients 65 years and older who met DSM-5 criteria for insomnia disorder. Patients were randomized to placebo (n=208), lemborexant 5 mg (n=266) or 10 mg (n=269), or active comparator (n=263) once nightly.1
- The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean change in log-transformed latency to persistent sleep (LPS; defined as the number of minutes from lights off to the first 10 consecutive minutes of non-wakefulness) from baseline to end of treatment (Days 29/30), as measured by overnight polysomnography (PSG) monitoring.1
- The pre-specified secondary efficacy endpoints in Study 2 were the mean change from baseline to end of treatment (Days 29/30) in sleep efficiency (SEF) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) measured by PSG.1
- SUNRISE 1, lemborexant 5 mg and 10 mg demonstrated statistically significant superiority on the primary efficacy measure, LPS, compared to placebo. lemborexant 5 mg and 10 mg demonstrated statistically significant improvement in SEF and WASO compared to placebo.1
- The effects of lemborexant at the beginning of treatment were generally consistent with later timepoints.
26 Dec Vitamin D, With and Without Calcium, for the Prevention of Fracture
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52550" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Clarke[/caption]
Robert Clarke MD, FRCP, FFPH, FFPHI, MSc, DCH
Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine
Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU)
Nuffield Department of Population Health
University of Oxford
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Approximately 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men aged 50 years or older will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime. Hip fracture is the most serious type of osteoporotic fracture with an approximately 30% risk of death in the year following a hip fracture. Vitamin D is essential for optimal musculoskeletal health by promotion of calcium absorption, and mineralisation of osteoid tissue formation in bone and maintenance of muscle function. Low vitamin D status causes secondary hyperparathyroidism, bone loss and muscle weakness. Observational studies have reported that lower blood concentrations of vitamin D are associated with higher risks of falls and fractures.
Combined supplementation with 800 IU/day vitamin D and 1200 mg/day calcium has been recommended for prevention of fractures in older adults living in institutions and in those with low vitamin D status. However, previous trials and meta-analyses of vitamin D alone, or in combination with calcium for prevention of fracture in either community-dwelling or general population settings reported conflicting results, with some reporting protective effects against fractures, but others demonstrated no beneficial effects. However, most of the previous trials had only limited power to detect differences in risk of fracture predicted by the observational studies, largely because of a combination of small sample size, relatively low equivalent daily doses of vitamin D, intermittent dosing regimens (>1 month), and short duration of follow-up. In addition, interpretation of the results of previous meta-analyses of such trials is complicated by use of variable inclusion criteria, inappropriate statistical methods, inclusion of multiple small trials with very few fracture events, in addition to failure to report achieved differences in blood 25(OH)D concentrations.
We summarised the available evidence to guide clinical practice and future research, by conducting parallel meta-analyses of:
- (i) observational studies of risks of fracture associated with prolonged differences in blood concentrations of 25(OH)D;
- (ii) randomised trials of vitamin D alone versus placebo or no treatment for prevention of fracture; and
- (iii) randomised trials of calcium and vitamin D versus placebo or no treatment for prevention of fracture.In addition, we reviewed the design of the ongoing randomised trials assessing the effects of higher doses of vitamin D alone or in combination with calcium for prevention of fracture.
23 Dec Biomarker Predicts Perioperative Cardiovascular Complications
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52542" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Devereaux[/caption]
Dr. PJ Devereaux MD, PhD, FRCP(C)
Director of the Division of Cardiology
Scientific Leader
Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine, and Surgical Research Group
Population Health Research Institute
McMaster University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is an ethical obligation to provide patients with an accurate estimation of the potential benefits of surgery and the potential risks, to facilitate informed decision making about the appropriateness of surgery. There are two common approaches to risk estimation.
First, physicians commonly use clinical risk indices. Based upon a patient’s clinical history (e.g., history of prior heart attack or stroke) an estimate of perioperative risk is determined. Research demonstrates that these clinical risk indices have suboptimal risk discrimination capabilities, and they will underestimate risk in many patients.
The second approach that has commonly been used is to have patients undergo an expensive and time consuming non-invasive cardiac test (e.g., stress nuclear cardiac study). Although these non-invasive cardiac tests can enhance risk estimation in some patients who will have a perioperative cardiac event, these tests more commonly exaggerate risk in patients who will not have a complication.
20 Dec Marked Increase in Marijuana Use in E-Cigarettes Among School Kids
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_51463" align="alignleft" width="165"] Dr. Hongying (Daisy) Dai[/caption]
Hongying (Daisy) Dai, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biostatistics | College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: E-cigarette use increased significantly from 2017 to 2019 among U.S. adolescents, and marijuana and other substances besides can be used in e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, restrictions on marijuana use have been relaxing and social acceptability of marijuana use is shifting among youth.
This study analyzed 38,061 middle and high school students from the 2017 and 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
19 Dec Overdose Risk Factors in Children and Youth Prescribed Opioids
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52464" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Kao-Ping Chua[/caption]
Kao-Ping Chua, MD PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center
University of Michigan
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Opioids are frequently prescribed to adolescents and young adults aged 12-21 years – in a recent study, 1 in 8 patients in this population were prescribed opioids during the year. At the same time, almost 30% of the 3000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016 among adolescents and young adults involved prescription opioids. Given the frequency of opioid prescribing and the risk of overdose, it is important to understand how to prescribe opioids safely to adolescents and young adults.
However, there have been few studies that examine which opioid prescribing patterns are associated with prescription opioid overdose in adolescents and young adults. Prior studies examining these patterns have focused on older adults, particularly U.S. Veterans, so the generalizability of these findings to younger populations is unclear.
18 Dec More Concussions Occur Off Playing Field Than On
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52509" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Breck[/caption]
John Breck, DO, CAQSM
Medical Services at University of Colorado, Boulder
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: To date, most concussion research has focused on sport-related concussion, though it is known that a substantial number of concussions occur outside of participating in sport.
Focusing solely on sport-related concussion may result in an underestimation of the underlying incidence and prevalence of concussion in the general population and leads to the widely held perception that most concussions are sport-related. An understudied population at risk for concussion are United States undergraduate college students.
18 Dec USPSTF Clarifies Screening Recommendations for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_42708" align="alignleft" width="143"] Dr. Barry[/caption]
Dr. Michael Barry MD
Director of the Informed Medical Decisions Program
Health Decision Sciences Center at Massachusetts General Hospital
Physician at Massachusetts General Hospit
Professor of Medicine,Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a bulge in the wall of the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the lower part of the body. While AAA often has no signs or symptoms, the aneurysms can grow silently and burst without warning, which can be deadly.
18 Dec Ultraprocessed Food Linked to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Mathilde Touvier, MPH, PhD Head of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team Dr Bernard Srour, PharmD, PhD Inserm, Inrae, University of Paris MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: We found that for an increase of 10 in the percentage of ultra-processed food quantity in the diet, we had a significant 15% increase in Type 2 diabetes risk. We have already shown, in the NutriNet-Santé cohort, associations between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and overall cancer, breast cancer, cardiovascular, coronary heart diseases risk, mortality and depressive symptoms. However, no prior study had studies the associations between ultra-processed food and Type 2 diabetes risk. We suspected that we would find these associations since some components of ultra-processed foods light have metabolic interactions with human health (some food additives for instance).16 Dec Non-FDA Approved Piracetam Found in Some Supplements Marketed for Cognitive Function
Posted at 00:56h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cognitive Issues, JAMA, Supplements
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52478" align="alignleft" width="160"]
Dr. Cohen[/caption]
Pieter A. Cohen, MD
Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance
Somerville, Massachusetts
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There has been increasing interest in the use of over-the-counter supplements to help improve memory and cognitive function. However, prior studies have suggested that these types of supplements might contain unapproved investigational drugs.
15 Dec Examination of Nailfold Capillaries Can Unmask Systemic Nature of Exfoliation Glaucoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52467" align="alignleft" width="130"]
Dr. Ritch[/caption]
Robert Ritch, MD, FACS, FARVO
Shelley and Steven Einhorn Distinguished Chair
Professor of Ophthalmology, Surgeon Director Emeritus
Chief, Glaucoma Services Emeritus
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai
New York, NY 10003
Founder, Medical Director and
Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board
The Glaucoma Foundation
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC), long used in rheumatology is a new approach to investigation of glaucoma.
Posterior to the nailbed and just anterior to the proximal nailfold is the cuticle, which has no structural elements visible to the naked eye. NFC is a non-invasive imaging modality that provides a highly magnified view of the capillaries at the nailfold of digits. It has also been used in ophthalmology to show morphological changes at the nailfold capillaries of POAG and XFG/XFS patients, helping to confirm the systemic nature of these diseases.
[caption id="attachment_52469" align="alignleft" width="400"] Nailfold Capillaroscopy / Dr. Ritch[/caption]
With nailfold capillaroscopy, an extensive array of capillaries can be seen greatly enlarged on a monitor screen. Capillary loops can be imaged, stored, recorded with videoscopy, and blood flow actively imaged and measured..
The first series of papers on glaucoma were written by Prof Josef Flammer’s group at the turn of the 21st century, looking at vasospasm, blood flow in normal-tension and high-tension glaucoma, and relating ocular blood flow alterations to systemic vascular regulation and relating laser Doppler flowmetry to NFC.
Studies from Korea later associated nailbed hemorrhages and loss of nailbed capillaries to the presence of optic disc hemorrhages and investigated correlation of of heart rate variability with visual field defects and nailfold capillaroscopy.
Studies by our group began with the publication in 2015 of a paper by Pasquale et al (Nailfold Capillary Abnormalities in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Multisite Study. IOVS;56:7021) using NFC video microscopy, associating dilated capillaries, avascular zones, and hemorrhages with primary open-angle glaucoma. Successive manuscripts and presentations at conferences have indicated differences between capillary loop patterns in high-tension and normal-tension POAG and exfoliation syndrome/exfoliation glaucoma.
Our goal in this paper was to compare nailfold peripheral blood flow in XFG, which had not previously been compared to control subjects using NFC. We explored the peripheral blood flow at the nailfold of patients with high-tension glaucoma, normal-tension glaucoma, exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) and compared it to control subjects further evaluate the possible differences between these glaucoma entities. We examined the morphology and extent of nailfold capillary loops, vascular tortuosity, blood flow, and nailfold hemorrhages.
11 Dec Atopic Dermatitis Linked to Skin and Kidney Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lily Wang Student at University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Impaired skin barrier and aberrant immune function in atopic dermatitis (AD) may impact immune response to malignancy. Conflicting data exist on the risk of cancer in patients with AD. The purpose of our study was to determine the risk of non-cutaneous and cutaneous cancers in patients with atopic dermatitis compared to the general population (i.e. without AD).
11 Dec STD Infections Common Among Those Starting or Staying on PReP for HIV Prevention
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52403" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Jason Ong[/caption]
Jason Ong, PhD, MMed, MBBS, FAChSHM, FRACGP
Twitter: @DrJasonJOng
Sexual Health Physician, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health
Associate Professor (Hon), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
Central Clinical School, Monash University, Australia
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia
Associate Editor, Sexually Transmitted Infections
Special Issues Editor, Sexual Health
Board Director, ASHM
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is being rolled out globally. This will protect many people from HIV, however PrEP does not protect against other sexually transmitted infections (STI). So we wanted to quantify how much STIs are in PrEP users as a means to advocate to strengthen sexual health services in these settings where PrEP is being offered.
11 Dec Health Care Spending Increasing But Not On Primary Care
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52362" align="alignleft" width="200"] Julie Reiff[/caption]
Julie Reiff BA
Researcher
Health Care Cost Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prior studies have attempted to define primary care spending and quantify such spending. Using definitions from the Milbank Memorial Fund, we used Health Care Cost Institute data to calculate primary care utilization and spending among those age 0-64 with employer-sponsored insurance.
11 Dec Comparison Trial of Three Anticonvulsant Medications for Status Epilepticus
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52433" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Conwit[/caption]
Robin Conwit, M.D
Program Director, Division of Clinical Research
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Approximately one-third of patients with intractable status epilepticus do not respond to benzodiazepines, often the first line medications given in the emergency department, leaving doctors to decide among three commonly prescribed anti-convulsants.
In this study all of the anti-convulsants were equally effective.
The trial gives doctors a way to clear the air of arguments that one of these drugs works any better than the others, or that any one of them is a lot safer. It gives doctors a reason to choose a dosing strategy in status epilepticus for levetiracetam, which has otherwise been controversial and non-standard.
10 Dec DNA Variants Predictive of Autism in Siblings
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52406" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Scherer[/caption]
Dr. Stephen Scherer, PhD, FRSC
Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology
Director, The Centre for Applied Genomics
SickKids Hospital
Toronto
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: One of the most common questions we get from parents with a child with autism is, "what is the likelihood of having a second or third child with autism, and what is the chance others in our family will have kids with autism?".
To help provide answers to these questions, we started the infant (or baby) siblings study ten years ago. Families having an older sibling with a diagnosis of autism were invited to enroll their next born for assessment and following to see if they also developed autism, and what the likelihood of that happening was. Biological samples like blood, and DNA from blood, were also collected and tested.
09 Dec Dramatic Rise in Head and Neck Injuries Associated with Cell Phone Use
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Roman Povolotskiy MD Candidate '20 Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The idea for the study came from seeing a few patients with stories of their injuries related to cellphones. Aside from the now ubiquitous texting while driving, we also had patients who were dropping cellphones on their faces while texting in bed. We wanted to see how many head and neck injuries are related to these devices that we can’t seem to take out hands or eyes off of. The main findings were that the incidence of cell phone related injuries has seen a dramatic rise in the recent decade, starting around the time that smart phones really started to take off. We also found that this problem is most prevalent in the adolescent and young adult age groups.09 Dec Unvaccinated Kids at Risk of Measles During International Travel
Posted at 16:29h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Global Health, JAMA, Pediatrics, Vaccine Studies
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52391" align="alignleft" width="135"]
Dr. Emily Parker Hyle[/caption]
Emily Parker Hyle, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We found that many children who were planning to travel internationally were eligible for MMR vaccination prior to departure but often did not receive it - especially if they were aged 6 months to 6 years. That is because most children do not routinely receive their first dose of MMR till 12-15 months of age and their second dose of MMR till 4-6 years of age. However, ACIP recommendations are different for children who are traveling internationally. The risk of being infected with measles is much higher outside of the US, so it is recommended that children older than 1 year have had 2 MMR vaccinations and that children 6-12 months receive 1 MMR vaccination prior to travel. MMR vaccination is a safe and effective way to greatly reduce the risk of measles infection.
04 Dec HCV Guidelines Difficult to Implement in Low Income Populations Without Enhanced Infrastructure and Funding
Posted at 13:59h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Health Care Systems, Hepatitis - Liver Disease, UC Davis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_52353" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Turner[/caption]
Barbara J Turner MD, MSED, MA, MACP
Senior Advisor, Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Keck School of Medicine, USC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection affects millions of persons in the United States but especially minorities and persons from low income communities. Current national guidelines recommend testing all baby boomers (born 1945 – 65) for HCV with the aim of ultimately curing those with chronic HCV infection with a short course of highly effective medication. However implementation of these guidelines faces many hurdles in “safety net” practices serving vulnerable populations.