medical research Tag

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. In this view, the protein particles E, S, M, and HE, also located on the outer surface of the particle, have all been labeled as well. This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China.

13 Mar COVID-19: Research and Development on Therapeutic Agents and Vaccines

Posted at 20:49h in Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Vaccine Studies

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Cynthia Liu, Ph.D. Manager, Scientific Information CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society Columbus, OH 43210 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The outbreak of COVID-19 caused by the new virus SARS-CoV-2 has overwhelmed the health systems in many countries and been declared by WHO as a pandemic which will continue to affect global public health and world economy. This threat calls for an intensified effort in the development of therapeutic agents and vaccines. CAS is a not-for-profit division of the American Chemical Society that specializes in scientific information solutions. Our team includes hundreds of scientists that build a global data collection of curated scientific content from both journal articles and patent applications as well as chemical and biological substance collections. With this report, our team hopes to support the efforts of R&D organizations seeking to address this crisis by providing an up-to-date overview of recent relevant publications and insight into potential therapeutic agents, including both small molecules and biologics.

Dr. Riddhi Shah, PhD AHA SFRN Postdoctoral Research Fellow Division of Cardiology Columbia University Medical Center New York, New York

13 Mar Components of Mediterranean Diet Linked to Reduced Inflammatory Markers

Posted at 20:36h in Author Interviews, Columbia, Heart Disease, Mediterranean Diet, Women's Heart Health

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53518" align="alignleft" width="177"]

Dr. Shah[/caption] Dr. Riddhi Shah, PhD AHA SFRN Postdoctoral Research Fellow Division of Cardiology Columbia University Medical Center New York, New York MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The Mediterranean Diet, characterized by higher intakes of plant foods including plant proteins, monounsaturated fat, fish, and lower consumption of animal products and saturated fat, has long been associated with reduced cardiovascular risk and greater longevity, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations have not been fully elucidated. We evaluated associations of an Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, reflective of adherence to this diet pattern and adapted for US populations, and its components with markers of endothelial inflammation directly measured in endothelial cells harvested from women, including oxidative stress, nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene expression.

A and B, Initial CT images obtained show small round areas of mixed ground-glass opacity and consolidation (rectangles) at level of aortic arch (A) and ventricles (B) in right and left lower lobe posterior zones. C and D, Follow-up CT images obtained 2 days later show progression of abnormalities (rectangles) at level of aortic arch (C) and ventricles (D), which now involve right upper and right and left lower lobe posterior zones.

13 Mar COVID-19 Likely to Involve Both lungs on Initial Chest Imaging

Posted at 18:56h in Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, CT Scanning, Global Health, Medical Imaging

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53511" align="alignleft" width="191"]

Dr. Kooraki[/caption] Soheil Kooraki MSR MS, MD on behalf of Dr. Ali Gholamrezanezhad MD and co-authors Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles, California MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: COVID19 is a novel strain of the coronavirus family causing pneumonia. Two similar strains were discovered in 2003 and 2012 to cause the so-called SARS and MERS outbreaks, respectively. Radiologists need to be prepared for the escalating incidence of COVID-19. We reviewed the literature to extract the epidemiologic and imaging features of SARS and MERS in comparison with known imaging features of COVID-19 pneumonia to have a better understanding of the imaging features of the COVID19 pneumonia in acute and post-recovery stages.

This 2007 photograph depicts the pathognomonic erythematous rash in the pattern of a “bull’s-eye”, which manifested at the site of a tick bite on this Maryland woman’s posterior right upper arm, who’d subsequently contracted Lyme disease. Lyme disease patients who are diagnosed early, and receive proper antibiotic treatment, usually recover rapidly and completely. A key component of early diagnosis is recognition of the characteristic Lyme disease rash called erythema migrans. This rash often manifests itself in a “bull's-eye” appearance, and is observed in about 80% of Lyme disease patients. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and as illustrated here, the characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Note that there are a number of PHIL images related to this disease and its vectors.

13 Mar New Lyme Disease Model Could Help Track Spread of Tick Disease to Midwest and South

Posted at 17:56h in Author Interviews, Lyme

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53507" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. BIsanzio[/caption] Donal Bisanzio PhD DVM Senior Epidemiologist RTI International MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The number of reported cases of Lyme disease has steadily increased since the year 2000. The Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 30,000 cases are reported each year with close to 270,000 unreported cases. The high fraction of unreported cases is linked with the absence of specific disease symptoms, which can deter physicians from an initial diagnosis. Another critical factor causing underreporting is the low accuracy of methods used to test Lyme disease. These factors show us that some counties that are currently considered Lyme disease-free may only have this status due to underreporting. RTI International, in collaboration with Columbia University, built a model to show factors affecting the diffusion of case reporting in the north-eastern U.S. from 2000 to 2017 and identify which counties may be experiencing underreporting. The model used publicly available data published each year by the CDC on cases reported at the county-level merged with information on vector distribution and data obtained by satellite surveys. The model included 855 counties located in 31 states in the West North Central, East North Central, New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern regions of the U.S. The final product was a map showing the probability of counties of the north-eastern U.S. to report Lyme disease cases.

13 Mar Study Advises Caution When Setting Expectations for Novel Cancer Drugs

Posted at 15:45h in Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JAMA

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alyson Haslam, PhD Nutritional Epidemiologist Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy Oklahoma State University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Checkpoint inhibitor drugs for the treatment of cancers have received a lot of attention in recent years because of their ability to induce responses in certain tumors. To quantify the eligibility and response of these drugs in the US population, we published an article about a year ago (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2732329). Since that publication, there were several confirmatory studies that failed to show a benefit in important outcomes such as overall survival or progression-free survival, and the US FDA made some revisions to certain checkpoint inhibitor drug labels. This prompted us to re-evaluate the eligibility of these drugs.

13 Mar After Bariatric Surgery, Colon Cancer Risk Drops to Same As General Population

Posted at 15:40h in Author Interviews, Colon Cancer, JAMA, Weight Research

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Laurent Bailly MD, PhD Département de Santé Publique, CHU Nice, Hôpital Archet 1. Niveau1 NICE France MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Obesity is known to increase cancer incidence and notably colorectal cancer incidence. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment of obesity however the association of this surgery with the colorectal cancer remained controversial. We used the French National Health Insurance Information System to conduct a nationwide retrospective cohort study, between 2009 and 2018, of patients hospitalized in France with a diagnosis of obesity. We followed more than 1 million obese individuals aged 50 to 75 years and free of colorectal cancer at baseline, some of them did undergo bariatric surgery and others did not.

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

12 Mar USPSTF Recommendation for Hepatitis C Screening of All Adults

Posted at 23:28h in Author Interviews, Hepatitis - Liver Disease, JAMA, USPSTF

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 Hospital Professor of Medicine,Harvard Medical School MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Hepatitis C affects more people today than ever before, many of whom are younger. If left untreated, it can cause serious, lifelong health problems due to liver damage. The good news is that hepatitis C infection is both preventable and treatable, with recent evidence showing that new treatments for adults are highly effective. Knowing this, we’ve broadened our guidelines to recommend screening for hepatitis C in all adults between the ages of 18 and 79.

Dr. Adan Z. Becerra PhD Senior Epidemiologist for the NIH Social and Scientific Systems Washington, District Of Columbia

12 Mar Recent Older Immigrants May Rely on Public Health Insurance

Posted at 22:59h in Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, JAMA, NIH, Social Issues

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53451" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. Becerra[/caption] Dr. Adan Z. Becerra PhD Senior Epidemiologist for the NIH Social and Scientific Systems Washington, District Of Columbia MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Previous studies have shown that disparities in insurance coverage by immigration status exist in the United States such that immigrants compared to nonimmigrants are less likely to have insurance. However, most studies have been cross sectional with few studies investigating long term trajectories of insurance coverage over time. We addressed this gap in the literature by following a cohort of adults for 24 years from before until after reaching Medicare age-eligibility.

Rishi K. Wadhera, MD Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians Cardiovasular Diseases Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

12 Mar Low Income Seniors With Both Medicare and Medicaid Do Less Well Than More Affluent Elderly

Posted at 16:00h in Author Interviews, Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cost of Health Care, Geriatrics, JAMA, Medicare

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53434" align="alignleft" width="160"]

Dr. Wadhera[/caption] Rishi K. Wadhera, MD Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians Cardiovasular Diseases Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: In the U.S., income inequality has steadily increased over the last several decades. Given widening inequities, there has been significant concern about the health outcomes of older Americans who experience poverty, particularly because prior studies have shown a strong link between socioeconomic status and health. In this study, we evaluated how health outcomes for low-income older adults who are dually enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid have changed since the early 2000’s, and whether disparities have narrowed or widened over time compared with more affluent older adults who are solely enrolled in Medicare (non-dually enrolled).

12 Mar Genetic Testing of Post-Menopausal Breast Cancer Patients

Posted at 15:54h in Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Genetic Research, JAMA, Stanford

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_41598" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. Kurian[/caption] Allison W. Kurian, M.D., M.Sc. Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and of Epidemiology and Population Health Director, Women’s Clinical Cancer Genetics Program Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305-5405 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Genetic testing is increasingly relevant for the care of cancer patients. However, little was known about the prevalence of inherited mutations in cancer susceptibility genes among the most common group of women with breast cancer: those diagnosed after menopause and without a strong family history of cancer.

Matthew E. Spotnitz, MD, MPH Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Obstetrics and Gynecology Columbia University Medical Center, Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics, and Medical Informatics Services New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York

11 Mar Different Cervical Cancer Risk with Copper vs Hormonal IUDs

Posted at 15:35h in Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Columbia, OBGYNE

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53473" align="alignleft" width="161"]

Dr. Spotnitz[/caption] Matthew E. Spotnitz, MD, MPH Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Obstetrics and Gynecology Columbia University Medical Center Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics, and Medical Informatics Services New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Our take home message is that copper and hormonal IUDs may have different physiological effects on the female genitourinary system.

Marcella Aquino, M.D. Hasbro Children's Hospital Department of Pediatrics Division of Allergy & Immunology Associate Professor of Pediatrics

10 Mar Poor Sleep Quality in Asthmatic Children With Atopic Dermatitis

Posted at 17:48h in Allergies, Asthma, Author Interviews, Dermatology, Pediatrics

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53396" align="alignleft" width="121"]

Dr. Aquino[/caption] Marcella Aquino, M.D. Hasbro Children's Hospital Department of Pediatrics Division of Allergy & Immunology Associate Professor of Pediatrics [caption id="attachment_53397" align="alignleft" width="107"]

Dr. Koinis-Mitchell[/caption] Daphne Koinis-Mitchell PhD Professor (Research) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Pediatrics Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Providence, Rhode Island 02903 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Urban minority children with asthma are at increased risk for sleep loss and poorer sleep quality secondary to socio-contextual stressors (poverty, stressors of urban living) and the underlying challenges related to following possibly complex asthma treatment regimens. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is very frequently seen in children with asthma and increases the risk for poor quality sleep, for example difficulty falling asleep, awakenings during the night, difficulty awakening in the morning, and/or daytime sleepiness.

10 Mar Women’s Taste in Men Doesn’t Change Over Menstrual Cycle

Posted at 16:51h in Author Interviews, Fertility

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Julia Stern (Jünger) Georg-August-University Göttingen Georg-Elias-Müller-Institute of Psychology Biological Personality Psychology Göttingen MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The main background for this study was the Good Genes Ovulatory Shift Hypothesis. This Hypothesis is quite famous in evolutionary social sciences. It claims that women’s mate preferences should shift across their ovulatory cycle, regulated by changing hormone levels (mainly estradiol and progesterone). More precisely, when fertile, women should be sexually attracted to men who displayed assumed indicators of genetic quality, e.g. dominant behavior, whereas when not fertile, women should prefer to mate with potential long-term partners. This Hypothesis has received criticism in the recent years, because of studies not finding any evidence for it, studies with positive evidence were criticized for methodological problems, and studies claiming that previously presumed indicators of good genes do not really display good genes at all. All this criticism led to a debate about the existence of mate preference shifts across women’s ovulatory cycle. My colleagues and I wanted to contribute to this debate by conducting a large study with strong research methods.

Professor Dr. Andreas Keller Stanford University School of Medicine Office Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics Saarbrücken, Germany

09 Mar Blood Biomarker May Detect Early Stage Lung Cancer

Posted at 20:44h in Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Lung Cancer, Stanford

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53410" align="alignleft" width="149"]

Prof. Keller[/caption] Professor Dr. Andreas Keller Stanford University School of Medicine Office Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics Saarbrücken, Germany MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Lung cancer is among the three most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The overall low survival rate of patients with lung cancer calls for improved detection tools to enable better treatment options and improved patients’ outcomes. To detect lung tumors, liquid biopsy-based strategies are increasingly explored, that are biomarkers, which are identifiable in body fluids such as human blood. The clinical application of biomarkers is, however, largely hampered by the relatively small numbers of cases that have been analyzed in the majority of the preclinical studies including the studies on lung cancer.

Alon Peltz, MD MBA MHS Department of Population Medicine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute

09 Mar Characteristics of Families Who May Lose SNAP Benefits

Posted at 20:35h in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Nutrition, Social Issues

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53418" align="alignleft" width="160"]

Dr. Peltz[/caption] Alon Peltz, MD MBA MHS Department of Population Medicine Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Thank you for taking an interest in our study. This study represented a collaboration between investigators from Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. SNAP is an important U.S. federal aid program that serves nearly 40 million persons annually with well-established health, nutrition, and financial benefits. Families can be eligible for the SNAP program under “federal” rules or “categorical eligibility” rules that extend SNAP support to otherwise ineligible families who receive benefits under certain social assistance programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. In July 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed new SNAP policies that would limit qualifications via the categorical eligibility route. Although these new policies have not been finalized, it is estimated that 1 in 10 U.S. families currently participating in SNAP may lose their benefits. We wanted to investigate the potential ramifications of these changes to help inform policymakers of the vulnerabilities of the families who receive SNAP benefits and may be at risk for disenrollment if the proposed policies are implemented.

Dr. Steve Miller MD MBA Chief Clinical Officer Cigna

07 Mar Cigna Will Waive Co-Pays for Covid-19 Tests Ordered by Health Care Providers

Posted at 01:00h in Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Infections

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53428" align="alignleft" width="162"]

Dr. Miller[/caption] Dr. Steve Miller MD MBA Chief Clinical Officer Cigna MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: With diagnoses of coronavirus increasing, Cigna is committed to helping contain the virus, removing barriers to testing and treatment, and giving peace of mind to its clients and customers.

06 Mar AI May Drive Faster Diagnosis of COVID-19

Posted at 00:25h in Author Interviews, Infections, Technology

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arni S.R. Srinivasa Rao, PhD Professor, Division of Health Economics and Modeling, DPHS Director - Laboratory for Theory and Mathematical Modeling Department of Medicine - Division of Infectious Diseases Medical College of Georgia Department of Mathematics, Augusta University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This is a methodological study with a flowchart, algorithm, and theory to enable quicker identification of individuals at risk of coronavirus based on CDC's guidelines on COVID-19.

Dr. Sinead Langan. FRCP MSc PhD Professor of Clinical Epidemiology Wellcome Senior Clinical Fellow Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London, U.K.

05 Mar Stress and Delayed Detection Contribute to Increased Melanoma Mortality with Loss of Partner

Posted at 15:20h in Author Interviews, Melanoma, Psychological Science

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53405" align="alignleft" width="160"]

Dr. Langan[/caption] Dr. Sinead Langan. FRCP MSc PhD Professor of Clinical Epidemiology Wellcome Senior Clinical Fellow Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London, U.K. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Psychological stress is commonly cited as a risk factor for melanoma, but clinical evidence is limited. We wanted to test the hypothesis that acute severe stress increases the risk of melanoma and melanoma progression.

05 Mar Is Youth Football Safe? An Analysis of Middle School Football Head Impact Data

Posted at 15:07h in Author Interviews, Brain Injury, Exercise - Fitness, Pediatrics

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53400" align="alignleft" width="160"]

Robert F. Heary, M.D.
Co-Director, Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory
Director, Spine Center of New Jersey
Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Newark, New Jersey[/caption] Robert F. Heary, M.D. Co-Director, Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory Director, Spine Center of New Jersey Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Newark, New Jersey MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This article was written to assess the relative danger versus safety of youth football. As this is a hot-button topic in the world of neurosurgery and neurology, we decided to look into this issue. In a suburban town, middle school football players were studied. They wore helmets with accelerometers mounted inside the hemet to measure how many hits the player absorbs and the magnitude of the force behind the hits. Also, soft “guardian caps” we worn over the outside of the helmets during practices. For all football activities (practices and games), the helmets were worn and data were accumulated. In addition, specialized coaching related to safe tackling techniques was provided.

Alexander C. Fanaroff, MD, MHS Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine University of Pennsylvania

05 Mar How Best to Measure Patient Persistence with Medications? Self Report or Pharmacy Fill?

Posted at 02:29h in Author Interviews, Compliance, Electronic Records, JAMA, University of Pennsylvania

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53388" align="alignleft" width="180"]

Dr. Fanaroll[/caption] Alexander C. Fanaroff, MD, MHS Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine University of Pennsylvania MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This is a secondary analysis of the ARTEMIS, a cluster randomized trial of copayment assistance for P2Y12 inhibitors in patients that had myocardial infarction. One of the primary endpoints of ARTEMIS was persistence with P2Y12 inhibitors: Did the patient continue to take a P2Y12 inhibitor over the entire 1 year following MI? In ARTEMIS, we captured persistence data in two ways, patient report and pharmacy fill records. What we did in this study was to look at the agreement between persistence as measured by these two methods.

“Eggs” by John Morgan is licensed under CC BY 2.0

05 Mar Study Finds No Link Between Moderate Egg Consumption and Overall CVD Risk

Posted at 02:26h in Author Interviews, BMJ, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, Nutrition

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, RD PhD Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval Researcher, NUTRISS Center of INAF, Université Laval Visiting Scientist, Department of Nutrition Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Eggs are a major source of dietary cholesterol, but they are also an affordable source of high-quality protein, iron, unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, and carotenoids. However, because of the cholesterol content in eggs, the association between egg intake and CVD risk has been a topic of intense debate in the past decades. Many prospective studies on the association between egg intake and cardiovascular disease risk have provided conflicting findings. The aim of our study was to prospectively examine the association between egg consumption and risk of CVD in three cohorts of US men and women, and to conduct a systematic review and a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on eggs and CVD.

Chyke A. Doubeni, M.D., M.P.H. Director, the Mayo Clinic Center Health Equity and Community Engagement Research Department of Family Medicine Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN

04 Mar USPSTF Statement on Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

Posted at 02:05h in Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, USPSTF

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53371" align="alignleft" width="133"]

Dr. Doubeni[/caption] Chyke A. Doubeni, M.D., M.P.H. Director, the Mayo Clinic Center Health Equity and Community Engagement Research Department of Family Medicine Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Cognitive impairment is a serious public health problem that affects millions of Americans as they age; it can lead to frustrating challenges that impact their everyday lives, such as trouble remembering, learning new things, or organizing their thoughts.

Olivier Wouters, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Health Policy Department of Health Policy (COW 2.06) London School of Economics and Political Science

04 Mar Cancer Drugs Most Expensive to Develop

Posted at 01:58h in Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, JAMA, Pharmaceutical Companies

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53363" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. Wouters[/caption] Olivier Wouters, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Health Policy Department of Health Policy (COW 2.06) London School of Economics and Political Science MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Drug companies often point to high research and development costs as justification for the rising prices of new medicines. Yet most prior analyses of research and development costs have been based on confidential data voluntarily supplied by drug companies to researchers with financial ties to the industry. Independent teams have not been able to verify those findings.

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

04 Mar Discounts Linked to Widening Gap Between List and Net Drug Prices

Posted at 01:48h in Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, JAMA, University of Pittsburgh

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46836" align="alignleft" width="132"]

Dr. Hernandez[/caption] Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Prior research found that list prices of drugs more than doubled in the last decade. However, because prior research was based on list prices, it did not account for manufacturer discounts, which have also increased in the past few years. We leveraged net pricing data from the investment firm SSR health to estimate increases in drug prices after accounting for discounts.

03 Mar Strong Child Access Prevention Laws Reduced Pediatric Gun Deaths

Posted at 21:40h in Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Pediatrics

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Hooman Azad First author and a 3^rd year medical student Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University Eric Fleegler, MD MPH FAAP Senior author and Pediatric Emergency Physician Boston Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Harvard Medical School MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Pediatric firearm violence is a public health crisis. The firearm fatality rate has increased by >50% over the past 10 years. Over our 26-year study period (1991-2016), 13,697 children under the age of 15 died at the hands of a firearm. Laws have been employed to try to reduce these deaths, and Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws, which aim to hold parents liable for the safe storage of their firearms, were passed in 25 states between 1989-2000. No new state passed a CAP laws after the year 2000. Child Access Prevention laws come in two flavors – recklessness laws that hold firearm owners liable for directly providing firearms to a minor, and negligence laws that hold the firearm owner liable for the unsafe storage of firearms with variability in how storage is defined and what penalties are imposed.

03 Mar “Snack Culture” Means Kids Get More Calories During Sports Than They Burn

Posted at 01:39h in Author Interviews, Nutrition, Pediatrics, Sugar

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53374" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. Spruance[/caption] Lori Spruance PhD Assistant Professor, Public Health College of Life Sciences Brigham Young University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: I was interested in studying this phenomenon after I attended a research conference presentation where the presenter was describing results from a study where they found that children between ages 6-11 who were physically active drank more sugar-sweetened beverages than children in that age group who were not physically active. The presenter suggested that they believed this was due to youth sports and Gatorade consumption. I was really intrigued by the fact that kids were getting physical activity, but had really high sugar-sweetened beverage intake. Prior to the study, I did some qualitative interviews with parents of children involved in youth sports. During these interviews, parents discussed the “snack culture” and the shame they sometimes feel being the “healthy parent”. I really wanted to investigate further what was happening.

Lee Hooper PhD, RD Reader in Research Synthesis, Nutrition & Hydration Norwich Medical School Norwich, UK

03 Mar Complicated Effects of Omega-3 and Polyunsaturated Fats on Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer

Posted at 00:23h in Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Omega-3 Fatty Acids

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53366" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. Hooper[/caption] Lee Hooper PhD, RD Reader in Research Synthesis, Nutrition & Hydration Norwich Medical School Norwich, UK MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Polyunsaturated fats are common healthy eating choices, and fish oil (long-chain omega-3 including EPA and DHA) and flaxseed (containing alpha-linolenic acid, ALA, a plant-based omega-3) supplements are commonly consumed. Worldwide cardiovascular disease was responsible for 37% of premature deaths due to non-communicable disease in 2012, and cancers were responsible for 27%. Small effects of omega-3 and polyunsaturated fats on cardiovascular diseases and cancers could have big effects on worldwide health.

02 Mar Study Finds Adolescents Starting Drug Use Later in Life

Posted at 23:44h in Addiction, Author Interviews, JAMA, Pediatrics

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53342" align="alignleft" width="200"]

Dr. Alcover[/caption] Karl Alcover, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate Behavioral Health Innovations Washington State University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: It has been a public health focus to prevent early exposure to drugs. Our paper shows that the average age of initiation of drug use among adolescents and young adults has been increasing from 2004 to 2017. We found that 12 of 18 drugs (including alcohol and tobacco products) had statistically increasing average ages of initiation. To our knowledge, no studies have documented these findings. We think this is great news because delaying initiation of drugs prevents early exposure, which we know is associated with various long-term negative health outcomes. Also, these promising trends may serve as initial evidence that prevention strategies, especially those that focus on adolescents and young adults, are working.

Zbigniew Zasłona PhD Luke A. J. O’Neill PhD Professor (Chair of Biochemistry) School of Biochemistry and Immunology Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

28 Feb Gene That Promotes Inflammation in Asthma Identified

Posted at 01:17h in Asthma, Author Interviews, Genetic Research, Nature

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53322" align="alignleft" width="92"]

Dr. Zasłona and Dr. ONeill[/caption] Zbigniew Zasłona PhD Luke A. J. O’Neill PhD Professor (Chair of Biochemistry) School of Biochemistry and Immunology Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Asthma is the most common disease in childhood and the most common respiratory condition in Ireland. It is a disease of environmental and genetic components. It is important to point out that although Ireland has very good air quality, asthma prevalence is very high (the second highest in Europe), and although asthma is not a single gene disease (such as cystic fibrosis) it is very important to study genetic variations in Irish population. Therefore in this study we put emphasis on the genetic component of asthma, rather than environmental factors, especially given that asthma heritability has been estimated as high as 60%. Prevention of asthma by reducing exposure to common risk factors, such as air pollution, will not stop the asthma epidemic in Ireland, as inferior air quality is not an issue.

28 Feb Drivers of More Expensive Cars Less Likely To Yield For Pedestrians

Posted at 01:03h in Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews

I think a take away message is that only about 28% of cars actually yielded....