20 Jun

Posted at 12:20h in AHA Journals, Alcohol, Author Interviews, Heart Disease
Dr. Darryl P. Leong MBBS(Hons) MPH PhD FRACP FESC Hamilton General Hospital 237 Barton Street East CanadaMedicalResearch.com: Interview with: Dr. Darryl P. Leong MBBS(Hons) MPH PhD FRACP FESC Hamilton General Hospital 237 Barton Street East Canada   MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Leong: The main findings of this study are that while low-moderate levels of alcohol use are associated with a reduced risk of myocardial infarction, this protective association was not seen in peoples of all ethnicities. Secondly, heavy alcohol use (≥6 drinks) within a 24 hour period was associated with a significant increase in the immediate risk of myocardial infarction.

12 Jun

Posted at 10:47h in Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Stem Cells
MedicalResearch.com Interview with Dr. Takuji Toyama MD Division of Cardiology Gunma Prefectural Cardiovascular Center Maebashi, Japan. MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Toyama: The early start of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) therapy in acute myocardial infarction ( AMI) patients can improve myocardial perfusion, fatty acid metabolism and cardiac function in subacute and follow-up periods.

14 May

Posted at 00:55h in Author Interviews, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Karolinski Institute, Lancet
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Viveca Ritsinger MD Karolinska Institute, Department of Medicine, Cardiology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm Unit for Research and Development Kronoberg County Council, Växjö, Sweden MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Ritsinger: This is a long-term follow-up of the Swedish DIGAMI 1 study where patients with acute myocardial infarction and diabetes were randomized to either intensified insulin-based glycaemic control or to standard glucose lowering treatment. Patients and controls were followed for mortality for over 20 years and 90% of the patients died during follow up. Survival improved during a period of about 8 years. Intensified insulin-based glycaemic control increased survival time by an average of 2.3 years.

02 May

Posted at 11:00h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease, Nutrition
Shanshan Li, Doctoral candidate Department of Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Shanshan Li, Doctoral candidate Department of Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: This is the first study to show that greater intake of dietary fiber, especially cereal fiber, was inversely associated with all-cause mortality. Participants increased their average dietary fiber intake after myocardial infarction (MI), and the greater the increase, the lower was the risk of subsequent all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Overall, the benefits for increased fiber intake were strongest for fiber from cereal and grain sources.

20 Mar

Posted at 11:55h in Author Interviews, CMAJ, Emergency Care, Gender Differences, Heart Disease, McGill
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Roxanne Pelletier, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Division of Clinical Epidemiology McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) 687 Pine Avenue West, V Building, Room V2.17 Montreal, QcRoxanne Pelletier, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Division of Clinical Epidemiology McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) 687 Pine Avenue West, V Building, Room V2.17 Montreal, Qc MedicalResearch.com: What made you want to study this disparity between men and women and heart attacks?  Dr. Pelletier:  Despite enhanced medical treatment and decrease in the incidence of heart diseases, important sex disparities persist in the risk of mortality following a cardiac event: the risk of mortality is higher in women compared to men, and this sex difference is even more important in younger adults. Therefore, we aimed to investigate potential mechanisms underlying this sex difference in mortality.

19 Mar

Posted at 18:13h in Author Interviews, Genetic Research, Lipids, University of Michigan
dr_cristen_j_willerMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Cristen J. Willer, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dept of Internal Medicine Dept of Human GeneticsDept of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5618 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Willer: We wanted to find new genes related to heart disease, so we examined the DNA of approximately 10,000 Norwegian individuals and found 10 genes that are important regulators of blood cholesterol levels. Nine of these were well known to be related to lipids, but one gene was new.  It turned out to be in a region we'd previously noticed to be related to cholesterol, but it was a big region and we hadn't been able to pinpoint the gene yet.  Using this new approach, focusing on DNA differences that result in slightly different proteins in people, we zeroed in on the gene.  We then altered this gene in mice, and saw the predicted changes in cholesterol levels in mice.

05 Nov

Posted at 01:38h in Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Wake Forest
Elsayed Z Soliman MD, MSc, MS, FAHA, FACC Director, Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center (EPICARE) Wake Forest School of Medicine Medical Center Blvs, Winston Salem, NC 27157MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Elsayed Z Soliman MD, MSc, MS, FAHA, FACC Director, Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center (EPICARE) Wake Forest School of Medicine Medical Center Blvs, Winston Salem, NC 27157 Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Soliman: Using data from the REGARDS study, one of the largest US cohorts, we examined the risk of incident myocardial infarction (MI) associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). Overall, AF was associated with almost double the risk of MI. When we adjusted for common cardiovascular risk factors and potential confounders, the risk remained significantly high; about 70% increased risk. When we looked at women, men, blacks, and whites separately,  we found significant differences between races and sex.  AF in women and blacks was associated with more than double the risk of MI. This compares to less than 50% increased risk of heart attack associated with AF in men and whites . So AF is basically bad for all, but the risk of MI associated with AF is more pronounced in women and blacks.

29 Oct

Posted at 10:37h in Author Interviews

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lorenz Raber, MD University Hospital Bern Bern, Switzerland

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Raber: The main finding of the clinical study is that the benefit of a biolimus-eluting stent using a biodegradable polymer (Biomatrix, BES) regarding MACE (cardiac death, target vessel MI, TLR) continued to accrue during the second year of follow-up, actually with a similar relative risk reduction as observed during the first year. After one year, the timepoint at which most patients stopped dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), no difference in safety (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis) was observed between BES and the control group (bare metal stent, BMS). This largely confirms the principle concept of biodegradable polymer stent platforms. The results of the imaging substudy provide a mechanistic explanation for the observed benefit with BES.  Specifically, BES showed a lower neointimal thickness, a low frequency of uncovered and malapposed stent struts  (OCT) and the absence of positive remodeling (IVUS) at 13 months follow-up.

22 Oct

Posted at 11:06h in Author Interviews, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Nutrition, Omega-3 Fatty Acids

MedicalResearch.com Interview wit: Elin Strand

Researcher, Department of Clinical Science University of Bergen, Norway MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of this study? Answer: The main findings in this prospective observational cohort study among patients with established coronary artery disease were that a very high intake of omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes, but with an increased risk of fatal acute myocardial infarction and with lower glycosylated hemoglobin in those without impaired glucose metabolism.

10 Sep

Posted at 01:01h in Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Nutrition
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Shanshan Li, MD, MSc, ScD Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts On behalf of Drs. Chuive, Flint, Pai, Forman, Hu, Willett, Mukamal and Rimm. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In our prospective study of diet quality among MI survivors, we found that a higher diet quality post-MI, measured by Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010, was associated with 24% lower death rate and 26% lower death rate from cardiovascular disease. Greater improvement of diet quality from pre- to post-MI was associated with 30% lower death rate and 40% lower cardiovascular disease death rate. In addition to reducing the bad fats intake, for example, saturated and transfat intake, MI patients also tended to reduce the good healthy polyunsaturated fats.