Asthma, Author Interviews, Technology / 16.10.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_37474" align="alignleft" width="125"]Frank Trudo, MD, MBA Brand Medical Lead US Respiratory AstraZeneca Dr. Trudo[/caption] Frank Trudo, MD, MBA Brand Medical Lead US Respiratory AstraZeneca MedicalResearch.com: Would you tell us about Lungprint?  How will Lungprint help asthma patients take better control of their disease? Response: Lungprint is an interactive digital tool that creates a dynamic visual representation of a person’s lungs based on their unique experiences with asthma. It is meant to provide people with asthma a better understanding of the role of asthma in their life and motivate them to have a more personalized conversation with their healthcare provider about the severity of their symptoms, a more individualized treatment plan and a blood test that measures eosinophil levels. Each person’s Lungprint, which is generated as they respond to a digital questionnaire about their experience with asthma, will help reveal information about their individual experience with asthma. You can visit www.lungprint.com to learn more about the tool and create your own Lungprint. 
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, Technology / 20.09.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_37046" align="alignleft" width="120"]MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Muthiah Vaduganathan, MD, MPH Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts Dr. Vaduganathan[/caption] Muthiah Vaduganathan, MD, MPH Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The CardioMEMS™ HF System (Abbott, Sylmar, CA) is a commercially-available, wireless hemodynamic monitor that can be permanently implanted in the pulmonary artery (PA) to permit real-time, remote monitoring of PA pressures to enhance clinical decision-making in patients with heart failure (HF). Based on a favorable safety profile and the results of the CHAMPION trial, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the device in May 2014. Since FDA approval, the device is being implanted in older patients with greater comorbidities compared with those enrolled in CHAMPION. Limited safety data are available after market introduction in this higher-risk pool.
Author Interviews, Emergency Care, Infections, Pediatrics, Technology / 19.09.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Alain Gervaix Head of the Emergency Division Department of Children and Adolescents University Hospitals of Geneva Switzerland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Many are familiar with the following ‘seemingly’ simple clinical dilemma that occurs on a daily basis across the world. A patient visits the doctor with a fever. Commonly, assigning a diagnosis comes down to deciding whether the infection is bacterial or viral. Accordingly, the doctor decides if to treat or not to treat with antibiotics. The problem is that bacterial and viral infections often present with very similar symptoms, causing uncertainty that leads to antibiotics being used, in many instances, when they are not needed. This antibiotic misuse contributes to the rise of antimicrobial resistance, one of the biggest health threats of the 21st century. Host biomarkers hold great promise as routine diagnostic tools that can assist doctors in making correct antibiotic treatment decisions, as they overcome key limitations of currently applied pathogen-based tests. Recently, a novel host-assay (ImmunoXpert™) for differentiating bacterial from viral infections was developed and validated to yield high sensitivity and specificity. The three-protein host-assay comprises tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), Interferon gamma-induced protein-10 (IP-10) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Flu - Influenza, Merck, Technology / 11.09.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36888" align="alignleft" width="99"]Jesse Papenburg, MD MSc FRCPC FRQS Clinical Research Scholar Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University Div. of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Microbiology Montreal Children’s Hospital Montreal, QC Dr. Papenburg[/caption] Jesse Papenburg, MD MSc FRCPC FRQS Clinical Research Scholar Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University Div. of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Microbiology Montreal Children’s Hospital Montreal, QC  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Influenza viruses cause yearly epidemics of acute respiratory illness affecting 5 to 30 percent of the population. Diagnosing influenza on the basis of only clinical symptoms is difficult because its manifestations vary and are nonspecific. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for flu diagnosis, but these tests must be sent to a laboratory and have turnaround times that extend beyond the clinical encounter. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of influenza has the potential to improve patient outcomes and decrease health care costs. Since 2011, two novel classes of rapid influenza diagnostic assays i.e., with results available in <30 minutes, have been commercialized with claims of improved sensitivities based on technological improvements: 1) automated immunochromatographic antigen detection tests (digital immunoassays, DIAs) and 2) rapid nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). Our systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the available evidence and compared the diagnostic accuracy of commercially available rapid tests for the detection of influenza A and B infection:
  • Overall, the rapid tests displayed very high specificities (≥98%). Physicians can therefore diagnose influenza with confidence on the basis of a positive RIDT, DIA, or rapid NAAT result.
  • The pooled sensitivities for DIAs (80.0% for influenza A and 76.8% for influenza B) and rapid NAATs (91.6% for influenza A and 95.4% for influenza B) are markedly higher than those for RIDTs (54.4% for influenza A and 53.2% for influenza B).
Allergies, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Pediatrics, Technology / 07.09.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36823" align="alignleft" width="72"]Lee, Hakho, PhD Department of Systems Biology Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts Dr. Lee[/caption] Lee, Hakho, PhD Department of Systems Biology Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The incidence of food allergy is increasing worldwide, particularly among children, and yet no handy test is available for general public. There are plenty of allergens testing methods for the factories producing the products, we wanted to solve this issue. Our pilot test showed wide variation in allergen contents in packaged food products and restaurant meals. Hidden allergens (like gluten in salad dressing, likely from additives) were also found.
Author Interviews, Stem Cells, Technology / 25.08.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36660" align="alignleft" width="150"]John Arnone, Chairman and CEO American CryoStem Corporation John Arnone[/caption] John Arnone Chairman and CEO American CryoStem Corporation MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this your company American CryoStem? Response: American CryoStem Corporation (CRYO) was founded in 2008, to allow individuals, researchers and physicians to collect-process-store stem cells derived from adipose tissue (fat) to prepare for their current or future use. Over the years the Company has become a biotechnology pioneer, standardizing adipose tissue derived technologies (Adult Stem Cells) for the fields of Regenerative and Personalized Medicine. The Company operates a state-of-art, FDA-registered, clinical laboratory in New Jersey and licensed laboratories in Hong Kong, China and Tokyo, Japan, which operate on our proprietary platform, dedicated to the collection, processing, bio-banking, culturing and differentiation of adipose tissue (fat) and adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) CRYO maintains a strategic portfolio of intellectual property, 18 patents that surround the Companies proprietary technology which supports a growing pipeline of stem cell applications and biologic products. We are leveraging our proprietary platform and our developed product portfolio to create a domestic and global footprint of licensed laboratory affiliates, physicians networks and research organizations who purchase tissue collection, processing and storage services and consumables from the Company. CRYO’s laboratory stem cell bank/line products are characterized adult human Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC's) derived from adipose tissue that work in conjunction with our 13 patented (non-animal) medium lines. The Company's R&D efforts are focused on university and private collaborations to discover, develop and commercialize ADSC therapies by utilizing our standardized collection-processing-storage methodology and laboratory products combined with synergistic technologies to create jointly developed regenerative medicine applications and intellectual property.
Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Columbia, Technology / 21.08.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36555" align="alignleft" width="132"]Gregg W. Stone MD Professor of Medicine Columbia University Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center Co-Director of Medical Research and Education The Cardiovascular Research Foundation New York, NY Dr. Stone[/caption] Gregg W. Stone MD Professor of Medicine Columbia University Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center Co-Director of Medical Research and Education The Cardiovascular Research Foundation New York, NY MedicalResearch.com: How does the MobiusHD system work? Response: The MobiusHD System is a thin stent-like device which is implanted during a minimally invasive procedure into the carotid artery. The MobiusHD modifies the activity of baroreceptors located in the carotid artery, increasing arterial vasodilation to reduce blood pressure.
Author Interviews, Technology / 18.08.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36535" align="alignleft" width="141"]Ken Long, MD/PhD student Department of Bioengineering Micro and Nano Technology Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois Ken Long[/caption] Ken Long, MD/PhD student Department of Bioengineering Micro and Nano Technology Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Traditional laboratory-based spectrometers are a mainstay of clinical diagnostics.  In our recent Lab on a Chip article we sought to produce a handheld device that would be able to perform three broad classes of spectrometric tests that one might normally do in a laboratory (Transmission-based, Reflection-based, and Intensity-based) on a smartphone-based handheld device that could be used at the point-of-care. Using high-resolution 3D printing, a custom optical fiber, and some off-the-shelf lenses, we were able to design, assemble, and demonstrate a device capable of reproducing results of traditional benchtop equipment when measuring results from commercially-available tests.  The device is small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, cost less than $550 to build the prototype, and has the ability to read multiple tests using the video-capture capabilities of the smartphone and a swiping motion with liquid test cartridges, much like swiping a credit card through a reader.  The two tests demonstrated in the paper were for a biomarker associated with pre-term birth in pregnant women, and a PKU test for newborns that can defect a critical nutritional enzyme deficiency.
Author Interviews, Psychological Science, Technology / 07.08.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36330" align="alignleft" width="200"]Mag. Nicole Mirnig PhD Research Fellow Center for Human-Computer Interaction University of Salzburg Salzburg, Austria Nicole Mirnig [/caption] Mag. Nicole Mirnig  Research Fellow Center for Human-Computer Interaction University of Salzburg Salzburg, Austria  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: From our previous research on social robots, we know that humans show observable reactions when a robot makes an error. These findings result from a video analysis we performed over a large data corpus from different human-robot interaction studies. With the study at hand, we wanted to replicate this effect in the lab in order to explore into more detail how humans react and what they think about a robot that makes a mistake. Our main findings made us quite excited. First of all, we could show that humans respond to faulty robot behavior with social signals. Second, we found that the error-prone robot was perceived as significantly more likeable than the flawless robot. One possible explanation for this finding would be the following. Research has shown that people form their opinions and expectations about robots to a substantial proportion on what they learn from the media. Those media entail movies in which robots are often portrayed as perfectly functioning entities (good or evil). Upon interacting with a social robot themselves, people adjust their opinions and expectations based on their interaction experience. We assume that interacting with a robot that makes mistakes, makes us feel closer and less inferior to technology.
Author Interviews, Stroke, Technology / 01.08.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bertrand LAPERGUE, MD, PhD Hôpital Foch, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelynes Department of Stroke Center, Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology Suresnes, France. Michel PIOTIN, MD Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology Fondation Rothschild, Paris, France. on behalf of the ASTER Trial Investigators. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with a stent retriever (SR), in association with intravenous (IV) rtPA, is now the standard of care in anterior circulation ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO). Favorable outcome is strongly associated with the successful reperfusion status (TICI 2b/3= 71% with SR, Hermes Study group). New techniques for MT such as ADAPT (A Direct first pass Aspiration Technique) seem promising to increase reperfusion status and clinical outcome in retrospective studies.
Author Interviews, Hearing Loss, Technology / 20.07.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview Provided on behalf of: Jan Janssen, Senior Vice President Research and Development Cochlear LimitedJan Janssen, Senior Vice President Research and Development Cochlear Limited MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this device? Response: Cochlear implants treat hearing loss by electrical stimulation of the hearing nerve, bypassing the damaged parts of the hearing pathway. Cochlear implants system consist out of an external sound processor that detects and processes the sounds and then sends them to the implant. The implant receives this information and turns it into electrical signals that are delivered to the hearing nerve and from there to the brain. The Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor is the world’s first and only Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor, allowing users to stream sound from their iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® directly to their cochlear implant sound processor. It not only enhances the experience of talking on the phone, it also makes features like enjoying music or watching videos, as well as audio apps such as Maps or FaceTime, more easily accessible. The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is also the smallest and lightest behind-the-ear sound processor on the market.
Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Technology / 18.07.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_35993" align="alignleft" width="200"]Douglas W. Scharre MD Professor of Clinical Neurology and Psychiatry Director Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology  Director, Center for Cognitive and Memory Disorders Director, Memory Disorders Research Center Co-Director, Neuroscience Research Institute Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center  Columbus, OH Dr. Douglas Scharre[/caption] Douglas W. Scharre MD Professor of Clinical Neurology and Psychiatry Director, Division of Cognitive Neurology Department of Neurology Director, Center for Cognitive and Memory Disorders Director, Memory Disorders Research Center Co-Director, Neuroscience Research Institute Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus, OH   MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE) is a pen-and paper, valid and reliable cognitive assessment tool for identifying individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early dementia. We published age and education normative data on SAGE and determined that one point be added to the scores when age over 79 and one point be added when education level is 12 years or less. We evaluated the identical test questions in digital format (eSAGE) made for tablet use, adjusted with previously published age and education norms, and determined eSAGE’s association with gold standard clinical assessments. eSAGE is commercially known as BrainTest.
Author Interviews, Technology / 14.07.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_35922" align="alignleft" width="100"]Dr Ian Williams PhD Associate Professor, DMT Lab Birmingham City University Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment Centre for Digital Media Technology Millennium Point Birmingham UK Dr. Williams[/caption] Dr Ian Williams PhD Associate Professor, DMT Lab Birmingham City University Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment Centre for Digital Media Technology Millennium Point Birmingham UK MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for your work? Response: Our work at the DMT Lab (dmtlab.bcu.ac.uk) focuses on developing a novel Mixed Reality (MR) medical presentation platform which allows practitioners to interact with patient data and virtual anatomical models in real time. The system enables the presentation of medical data, models and procedures to patients with the aim of educating them on pending procedures or the effects of lifestyle choices (for example the effects of smoking or excessive alcohol consumption). The system employs an exocentric mixed reality environment which can be deployed in any room. It integrates a medical practitioner in real time with multimodal patient data and the corresponding result is a real time co-located visualisation of both the practitioner and the data, which they can interact with in real time.  We implement a natural interaction method into the system which improves a user’s level of direct interaction with the virtual models and provides a more realistic control of the data. The system can also be used in a fun educational setting where patients, students, children or any naive user, can learn about medical anatomical information via a real-time interactive mixed reality “body scanner”. This fun system overlays the MR information onto their own body in real-time and shows them scaled and interactive virtual organs, anatomy and corresponding medical information. We are aiming for this system to be used not only in patient education but also in engaging and informing people on lifestyle choices.
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Technology / 13.07.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_35893" align="alignleft" width="152"]David Moore MBA Senior Vice President of Marketing Novo Nordisk  David Moore[/caption] David Moore MBA Senior Vice President of Marketing Novo Nordisk  MedicalResearch.com: What is the Cornerstones4Care Powered by Glooko (C4C) App? Response: The Cornerstones4Care® Powered by Glooko® App marries Novo Nordisk’s extensive knowledge of diabetes and personalized patient support with Glooko’s digital platform and data analytics expertise. The App is comprehensive tool that helps patients track meals, activity, medicine and blood sugar – in one convenient place – and is intended to help people learn how to better manage diabetes through their mobile devices. MedicalResearch.com: What functions will people with diabetes have access to? How can the app help people living with diabetes control their disease?    Response: The Cornerstones4Care® Powered by Glooko® App marries Novo Nordisk’s extensive knowledge of diabetes and personalized patient support with Glooko’s digital platform and data analytics expertise. The App is comprehensive tool that helps patients track meals, activity, medicine and blood sugar – in one convenient place – and is intended to help people learn how to better manage diabetes through their mobile devices.
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Technology / 10.07.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_35836" align="alignleft" width="133"]Jacob Barkley, Ph.D., College of Education, Health and Human Services Kent State Dr. Barkley[/caption] Jacob Barkley, Ph.D., College of Education, Health and Human Services Kent State  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Our group has demonstrated that cellular telephone (cell phone) use is positively associated with sedentary behavior (i.e., sitting). To that end, high cell phone users sit for 80 to 100 minutes longer than their lower-use peers. We have also shown that cell phone use during exercise decreases exercise intensity and slows free-living walking speed. In other words, cell use may be comparable to traditional sedentary screen use in that it promotes sitting and may interfere with physical activity. However, some cell phone functions may actually promote positive health behaviors. Fitness apps, connecting with active peers and administering health recommendations via the cell phone all may have utility in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior. While not well studied, novel physically-interactive cell phone games may also promote physical activity. One such game, Pokémon Go! requires users to walk through real environments and locate avatars in the game using GPS. The purpose of the game is to find these avatars. In order to find more avatars, the player will need to walk to more areas. Therefore, playing Pokémon Go! may promote walking.
Author Interviews, Social Issues, Technology / 07.07.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Leon Sütfeld The Institute of Cognitive Science University of Osnabrück  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Self-driving cars, and especially future fully autonomous cars, pose a number of ethical challenges. One of these challenges is making the "right" decision when it comes to a so-called dilemma situation, in which a collision is unavoidable (or highly probable), but a decision can be made as to which of multiple different collisions to choose. Our study assesses the behavior of human participants in such dilemma situations and evaluates algorithmic models that are trained on this data to make predictions. Our main findings are that in a controlled virtual reality environment, the decisions of humans are fairly consistent and can be well described by simple value-of-life models.
Author Interviews, Neurological Disorders, Technology / 29.06.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_35654" align="alignleft" width="200"]Howard Jay Chizeck ScD Professor, Electrical Engineering Adjunct Professor, Bioengineering Co-Director UW Biorobotics Laboratory Graduate Program in Neuroscience UW CoMotion Presidential Innovation Fellow Research Thrust Testbed Co-Leader Prof. Chizeck[/caption] Howard Jay Chizeck ScD Professor, Electrical Engineering Adjunct Professor, Bioengineering Co-Director UW Biorobotics Laboratory Graduate Program in Neuroscience UW CoMotion Presidential Innovation Fellow Research Thrust Testbed Co-Leader MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Essential Tremor is treated using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in some patients. Current clinical practice involves Deep Brain Stimulation with an "always on" stimulation. This causes extra battery drain, because stimulation is applied when not needed. Also excessive stimulation is not necessarily a good thing, Our work is aimed at adjusting the stimulation, so that it comes on and turns off only when needed to suppress tremor symptoms.
Author Interviews, Emory, Flu - Influenza, Lancet, Technology, Vaccine Studies / 28.06.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Nadine G Rouphael MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Emory University Director of the VTEU and HIPC networks at the Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center Decatur GA 30030, USA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this new technology and study? What are the main findings? Response: Different groups including a group of researchers at Georgia Tech have been working on the microneedle technology for more than 20 years. The dissolvable microneedle patches are already used in several cosmetic products and drugs. However, vaccination with microneedle patches has been studied mostly in animals. Our phase 1 trial published this week in The Lancet showed that vaccination with the microneedle patches was safe, with no related serious adverse events reported. Local skin reactions to the patches were mostly mild itching and faint redness that lasted two to three days. No new chronic medical illnesses or influenza-like illnesses were reported with either the patch or the injection groups. Antibody responses generated by the vaccine, as measured through analysis of blood samples, were similar in the groups vaccinated using patches and those receiving intramuscular injection, and these immune responses were still present after six months. When asked after immunization, more than 70 percent of patch recipients reported they would prefer patch vaccination over injection or intranasal vaccination for future vaccinations.
Addiction, Author Interviews, Technology / 24.06.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_35593" align="alignleft" width="150"]Dr. Phil Reed,  D.Phil. Professor Psychology Swansea University Dr. Reed[/caption] Dr. Phil Reed,  D.Phil. Professor Psychology Swansea University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Problematic internet use has been a growing concern for many people and bodies over the last decade, and more study has been requested into various aspects of this possible disorder.  One of the key questions is whether people overuse the internet, due to an addiction.  If it is an addiction, then there should be signs of withdrawal when people, who report having this problem, stop using the internet.  In this study, 144 participants, aged 18 to 33, had their heart rate and blood pressure measured before and after a brief internet session.  Their anxiety and self-reported internet addiction were also assessed. The results showed increases in heart rate and systolic blood pressure on terminating the internet session for those with problematically-high internet usage.  These increases in physiological arousal were mirrored by increased feelings of anxiety.  However, there were no such changes for those participants who reported no internet-usage problems.
Author Interviews, Dental Research, Technology / 14.06.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Avathamsa Athirasala, MSE and Luiz E. Bertassoni, DDS PhD Biomaterials and Biomechanics, School of Dentistry Center for Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine Portland OR 97201 USA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Current clinical practices for root canal treatment involve replacing the damaged tissue with inert, synthetic materials. While these procedures are able to arrest infection and decay in the tooth, they do not restore its biological function causing it to become weaker and more prone to fractures. We are focused on the regeneration of pulp tissue instead and in this study, we have developed a strategy to apply tissue-engineering concepts to engineer dental pulp-like tissue constructs, complete with blood vessels, which can, in principle, integrate with existing vasculature when introduced at the site of injury and form healthy pulp tissue.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Karolinski Institute, Technology / 14.06.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: “drones” by Andrew Turner is licensed under CC BY 2.0Andreas Claesson, RN, Paramedic PhD Centre for resuscitation science Karolinska institute Stockholm, Sweden. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is low, the technology is existing. When implementing this kind of system with a drone equipped with an AED, defibrillation may occur at an early stage and before EMS arrival mainly in rural areas.
Author Interviews, Education, Psychological Science, Technology, University of Pennsylvania / 21.05.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34746" align="alignleft" width="130"]Jason Han, MD Resident, Cardiothoracic Surgery Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Han[/caption] Jason Han, MD Resident, Cardiothoracic Surgery Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The inspiration for this study comes from my personal experience as a medical student on clinical rotations. Despite having been a victim of a medical error while growing up myself, I found it extraordinarily difficult to admit to even some of my smallest errors to my patients and team. Perplexed by the psychological barriers that impeded error disclosure, I began to discuss this subject with my advisory Dean and mentor, Dr. Neha Vapiwala. We wanted to analyze the topic more robustly through an academic lens and researched cognitive biases that must be overcome in order to facilitate effective disclosure of error, and began to think about potential ways to implement these strategies into the medical school curriculum with the help of the director of the Standardized Patient program at the Perelman School of Medicine, Denise LaMarra. We ultimately contend that any educational strategy that aims to truly address and improve error disclosure must target the cognitive roots of this paradigm. And at this point in time, simulation-based learning seems to be the most direct way to do so, but also remain hopeful that emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality may offer ways for students as well as staff to rehearse difficult patient encounters and improve.
Author Interviews, Macular Degeneration, Ophthalmology, Technology / 17.05.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34646" align="alignleft" width="180"]Dr Felicity de Cogan PhD</strong> Institute of Inflammation and Ageing University of Birmingham Dr Felicity de Cogan[/caption] Dr Felicity de Cogan PhD Institute of Inflammation and Ageing University of Birmingham MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The University of Birmingham has a unique approach to developing technologies. By locating chemists, engineers, biologists and clinicians in the same department it revolutionised the way research problems are solved. Initially, Felicity de Cogan was researching cell penetrating peptides (CPP) and their uses in microbiology. However, after joining forces with Neuroscientists, Dr Lisa Hill and Professor Ann Logan at the National Institute for Health Research Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre (NIHR SRMRC) together with the clinicians and Vision Scientists, Dr Mei Chen and Professor Heping Xu at the Queen’s University Belfast it became evident that there was huge potential to deliver drugs in the eye. This was the start of the project and it developed rapidly from there.
Author Interviews, Emory, Mental Health Research, Technology / 10.05.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34507" align="alignleft" width="195"]Jessica Maples-Keller Emory University School of Medicine. Jessica Maples-Keller[/caption] Jessica Maples-Keller Emory University School of Medicine. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response:  This manuscript is a review of the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology within psychiatric treatment. VR refers to an advanced technological communication interface in which the user is actively participated in a computer generated 3-d virtual world that includes sensory input devices used to simulate real-world interactive experiences. VR is a powerful tool for the psychiatric community, as it allows providers to create computer-generated environments in a controlled setting, which can be used to create a sense of presence and immersion in the feared environment for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.
Abuse and Neglect, Genetic Research, Technology / 03.05.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34354" align="alignleft" width="133"]Chance York, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Mass Communication Kent State University Dr. Chance York[/caption] Chance York, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Mass Communication Kent State University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This research used twin study survey data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) to investigate the relative influence of genetics and environment on social media use. While the research cannot directly examine the gene-level influence on social media behavior, I was able to leverage known levels of genetic relatedness between identical and fraternal twins to suss out how much genetic traits and environmental factors impact frequency of using social media with some help from the Buzzoid boys. The results showed that between one- and two-thirds of variance in social media use is explained by genes, while environmental factors (parental socialization, peers, work, school, individual characteristics, etc.) explained the rest. In other words, this very specific communication behavior—social media use—is partially guided by our genetic makeup.
Author Interviews, Education, Technology / 01.05.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Frederick W. Kron, MD President and Founder of Medical Cyberworlds, Inc Department of Family Medicine,Ann Arbor, MI and Michael D. Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A. Professor of Family Medicine University of Michigan MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this technology and study? Dr. Kron: Communication is the most important component of the doctor-patient relationship. I know that through research, but also through personal experience. As a cancer survivor, I’ve seen first-hand the difference that outstanding communication skill can make to a vulnerable patient. At the beginning of the project, we asked medical educators about the challenges they had in assessing and training communication competency. They told us that technical skills are easy to teach and assess, but communication skills are mainly behavioral skills that involve verbal and nonverbal behaviors, facial expressions, and many other cues that pass between patient and provider. That’s hard to teach and assess. Activities like role play with standardized patients (SPs) have been widely used, but it’s impossible for SPs to accurately portray these behaviors, or for faculty to fully assess the nuanced behaviors of both learner and patient. Supporting this idea is a lack of evidence proving that SP encounters translate in behavioral changes or transfer into clinical settings. Developments in virtual reality provided us with a great opportunity for assessing and teaching of communication behaviors. Working with a national group of experts, we created computer-based Virtual Humans that interact with learners using the full range of behaviors you’d expect from two people talking together. They are so behaviorally realistic and compelling, that they trigger emotional responses in learners, and make learners want to learn so they can do their best. Dr. Fetters: Our team has particular interest in doctor-patient communication in the context of cancer. There are many critical aspects of cancer communication: breaking the bad news to the patient, negotiating sometimes conflicting family opinions about treatment, and communication among team members about the patient's care, just to name a few. We’ve begun building out those scenarios in the technological platform we developed, Mpathic-VR.
Author Interviews, Dermatology, JAMA, Melanoma, Technology / 27.04.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34201" align="alignleft" width="200"]Laura Korb Ferris, MD, PhD</strong> Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute Director of Clinical Trials, Department of Dermatology University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Dr. Laura K. Ferris[/caption] Laura Korb Ferris, MD, PhD Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute Director of Clinical Trials Department of Dermatology University of Pittsburgh Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We found that a non-invasive adhesive patch applied to the skin over a pigmented skin lesion allowed us to capture enough genetic material from the lesion to analyze and predict if that lesion is likely to be melanoma, meaning a biopsy is warranted, or if it is likely benign, meaning the patient would not need a skin biopsy. In this study, we asked dermatologists to use their clinical judgement to decide if they would recommend biopsying a skin lesion based on photos and information about the lesion and the patients, such as the patient's age, personal and family history of skin cancer, and if the lesion was new or changing. We then provided them the read out of the gene test and asked them how this influence their decision. We found that with this test result, dermatologists were more accurate in their decision making, meaning they were more likely to recommend biopsy of melanomas and less likely to biopsy harmless moles than they were without the test. This is important as it means this test has the potential to reduce the number of unnecessary skin biopsies performed, saving patients from undergoing a procedure and having a scar as a result, without increasing the risk of missing a melanoma.
Author Interviews, Stem Cells, Technology / 26.04.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33913" align="alignleft" width="117"]Sang Jin Lee, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Wake Forest School of Medicine Wake Forest University Dr. Sang Jin Lee[/caption] Sang Jin Lee, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Wake Forest School of Medicine Wake Forest University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: I received my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea in 2003 and took a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratories for Tissue Engineering and Cellular Therapeutics at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine where I am currently a faculty member. My research works have focused on development of smart biomaterial systems that support the regenerative medicine strategies and approaches. These biomaterial systems combined with drug/protein delivery system, nano/micro-scaled topographical feature, or hybrid materials that could actively participate in functional tissue regeneration. Recently my research works utilize 3D bioprinting strategy to manufacture complex, multi-cellular living tissue constructs that mimic the structure of native tissues. This can be accomplished by optimizing the formulation of biomaterials to serve as the scaffolding for 3D bioprinting, and by providing the biological environment needed for the successful delivery of cells and biomaterials to discrete locations within the 3D structure.
Author Interviews, Technology / 22.04.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34069" align="alignleft" width="200"]Aylin Caliskan PhD Center for Information Technology Policy Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Dr. Caliskan[/caption] Aylin Caliskan PhD Center for Information Technology Policy Princeton University, Princeton, NJ MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Researchers have been suggesting that artificial intelligence (AI) learns stereotypes, contrary to the common belief that AI is neutral and objective. We present the first systematic study that quantifies cultural bias embedded in AI models, namely word embeddings. Word embeddings are dictionaries for machines to understand language where each word in a language is represented by a 300 dimensional numeric vector. The geometric relations of words in this 300 dimensional space make it possible to reason about the semantics and grammatical properties of words. Word embeddings represent the semantic space by analyzing the co-occurrences and frequencies of words from billions of sentences collected from the Web. By investigating the associations of words in this semantic space, we are able to quantify how language reflects cultural bias and also facts about the world.
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Technology / 17.04.2017

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33956" align="alignleft" width="180"]Paul J.D. Whiteside, doctoral candidate and Dr. Heather Hunt, assistant professor of bioengineering University of Missouri Dr. Heather Hunt and Paul Whiteside[/caption] Paul J.D. Whiteside, doctoral candidate and Dr. Heather Hunt, assistant professor of bioengineering University of Missouri MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this technology? What are the barriers to the use of conventional laser treatment of tattoos? Response: Traditional laser treatments rely on the concept of selective photothermolysis (laser-induced heating) to specifically target certain structures for treatment, while leaving other parts of the skin unaffected. The problem with traditional laser treatments is that the laser needs to transmit through the epidermis, which acts as a barrier to laser transmission both due to its reflective properties and because it is filled with light-absorbing melanin, the pigment that gives our skin its color. Sonoillumination acts to change the properties of the epidermis temporarily using painless ultrasound technology, thereby allowing more laser light to penetrate deeper into the skin to impact desired targets, such as hair follicles, tattoos, and blood vessels. Funding for clinical trials is currently being sought to provide evidence for what we surmise may be benefits of this technology relative to traditional laser treatments. These benefits may include being able to treat darker-skinned people more effectively, being able to provide laser therapy with less risk of scarring or pigment changes, and being able to do treatments with less discomfort, fewer treatments, and lower laser energy settings.
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