Author Interviews, Cannabis, Diabetes / 16.09.2025
EASD 25: Boston University Study Finds Cannabis Use Carries Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
[caption id="attachment_70686" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Kamel[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ibrahim Kamel, MD, MHA
Boston Medical Center – Brighton
Clinical Instructor
Boston Medical Center
Boston University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Cannabis use carries risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. It is important for physicians to screen for the use of cannabis to better understand each patients risk.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Clinically physicians should screen for and council on the risk of cannabis use. People should know what is the risk in the substances they use and make the choice that they feel is right.
Dr. Kamel[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ibrahim Kamel, MD, MHA
Boston Medical Center – Brighton
Clinical Instructor
Boston Medical Center
Boston University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Cannabis use carries risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. It is important for physicians to screen for the use of cannabis to better understand each patients risk.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Clinically physicians should screen for and council on the risk of cannabis use. People should know what is the risk in the substances they use and make the choice that they feel is right. 
Dr. Casale[/caption]
Thomas B. Casale, M.D.
Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Chief of Clinical and Translational Research
Division of Allergy and Immunology
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The data leading to FDA approval of neffy came from extensive pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. As with previous epinephrine delivery devices, the FDA asked for data showing that after delivery of neffy the epinephrine blood levels and expected changes in pulse and blood pressure were similar to those achieved with injectable formulations of epinephrine. neffy performed as expected with blood levels of epinephrine bracketed by those achieved with EpiPen and a needle and syringe along with increases in pulse and blood pressure compatible with the epinephrine levels measured.
Additionally, clinicians are interested in whether neffy would perform similarly in real clinical situations. The data from the neffy experience program provides real-world assurance that neffy can effectively treat acute allergic reactions. Given the large number of patients and the similar findings to those achieved with injectable epinephrine in previous studies, the data should provide assurance that neffy can be an effective substitute for injectable epinephrine in patients that desire a needle-free option.
Dr. Donofry[/caption]
Shannon D. Donofry Ph.D.
Behavioral Scientist
B.A.Sc. in psychology/neuroscience
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus;
Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
[caption id="attachment_70207" align="alignleft" width="125"]
Dr. Rancaño[/caption]
Katherine M. Rancaño, Ph.D
Associate Policy Researcher
RAND
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: GLP-1 medications were first used to help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar. Lately, they’ve become popular for helping people lose weight, too. Because of this, a lot more people have started using them. In our study, we asked over 8,000 adults from across the country about their use of GLP-1 medications and any side effects they had.
L. Levi[/caption]
Liran Levi, PhD student
Faculty of Medicine at Hebrew University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Motivated behavior is driven by a group of brain regions called collectively the reward system. This neural system is at the heart of every decision we make about our actions - it integrates information about the world and decides whether to perform a behavior or not based on the predicted reward/benefit. The key molecule in this process is dopamine - whenever we perform a behavior that provides a reward dopamine is released in the reward system and reinforces this behavior. Drugs of abuse exploit this system - they cause abnormally high levels of dopamine, and thus force the reward system to seek drugs constantly, even after prolonged withdrawal. From a neurobiological perspective, that is how we view substance dependence - the reward system drives people to seek for the reward.
Dr. Campanella[/caption]
Gabriele Campanella, PhD
Assistant Professor
Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer in the US. Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common form of lung cancer with an incidence of over 100k per year in the US. EGFR mutations are common driver mutations in LUAD, and importantly, these mutations can be targeted by TKI therapy, which has high response rates. Because of this, EGFR testing via NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) is considered mandatory by guidelines for any LUAD diagnosis.
In high-resource settings, rapid EGFR testing is done while waiting for confirmation via NGS. This is because NGS takes about 2 weeks on average, while the rapid testing has a median TAT of 2 days. Early treatment decisions could be made based on the rapid test results. Rapid tests have some important drawbacks, most notably, it exhausts tissue. In lung cancer, tissue is scarce in the first place, and up to 25% of cases, after rapid testing there is not enough tissue for NGS. In those circumstances, patients have to be biopsied again, which adds unnecessary risk for the patient. Even worse, in some cases, the NGS is never done. A non-tissue-exhaustive computational biomarker could be used instead of the tissue-based rapid test.
Dr. Steenson[/caption]
Dr. Simon Steenson PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Nutritional Sciences
King’s College London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Chronic constipation is something that can be embarrassing, but it affects 1 in 10 people globally. It has a big impact on people’s quality of life and treating constipation has substantial costs for the healthcare system. Dried fruits are recommended for managing constipation, but there are very few studies that have actually tested whether following this advice is helpful. To fill this gap in our knowledge, we completed the largest clinical trial to date to see whether dried fruits and fruit juices could benefit constipation symptoms.
Dr. Corley[/caption]
Douglas Corley, MD, PhD
Chief Research Officer, The Permanente Medical Group
Kaiser Permanente, Northern California
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) is an integrated health care system that designs and implements population-based programs that support cancer prevention and early detection. In 2006, KPNC began to implement a comprehensive colorectal cancer screening program with the goal of increasing member screening rates, preventing colorectal cancer through polyp removal, and reducing cancer mortality. The initiative identifies whether screening-eligible KPNC members are up to date with their colorectal cancer screening test by either a colonoscopy or by stool-based tests, such as a fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) kit. If they are not up to date with screening, it mails them a FIT kit for at-home testing. Members can also choose other options for colorectal cancer screening, such as a colonoscopy, through their physician.
Dr. Klonoff[/caption]