Author Interviews, Nutrition, Supplements, UCSD / 14.01.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kellogg Parsons, MD, MHS Professor of Urology Moores UC San Diego Comprehensive Cancer Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Clinical guidelines for prostate cancer, circulated widely in the public domain, endorse the consumption of diets high in micronutrient-enriched vegetables. Drawing on expert opinion, epidemiological studies, and small preclinical experiments, these recommendations propose that vegetable-enriched diets may decrease cancer progression and death among prostate cancer survivors. However, data from randomized clinical trials focused on actionable clinical endpoints has been lacking. We utilized a specific behavioral intervention, grounded in the field of social psychology, to “nudge” patients with prostate cancer toward healthier food choices. The intervention is telephone-based, like a call center: patient-focused, convenient, and simple. (more…)
Addiction, Author Interviews, JAMA, UCLA / 15.01.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: John W. Ayers, PhD MA Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?  Response: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national helpline (1-800-662-HELP) is the only free, federally managed and endorsed US drug treatment referral service, helping callers find the best local services that match their needs. Are millions suffering simply because they are not aware that lifesaving help is a phone call away? In our new study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Mark Dredze, Alicia Nobles and I delved into Americans’ engagement with 1-800-662-HELP following singer Demi Lovato’s July 24, 2018 hospitalization for a reported overdose that on-the-scene investigators originally linked to heroin. Lovato has since recovered. (more…)