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The News-Medical.Net "Thought Leaders" series is a selection of articles written by national and international experts and trusted advisers in health and medicine. All the articles are written by experts who have been invited as recognised leaders in their fields to provide a "state of the art" contribution.
Heart disease signs in newborns: an interview with Dr Michael Skilton, University of Sydney

Heart disease signs in newborns: an interview with Dr Michael Skilton, University of Sydney

Thickening of the walls of the main arteries is the best indicator of poor cardiovascular health in healthy young children. [More]

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) guidelines: an interview with Dr Jonathan Parsons, The Ohio State University Asthma Center

Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is defined as acute, transient airway narrowing that occurs in association with exercise. Exercise-induced bronchospasm can occur during or, more frequently, after exercise. [More]
Depression and time perception: an interview with Dr Rachel Msetfi, University of Limerick

Depression and time perception: an interview with Dr Rachel Msetfi, University of Limerick

In clinical terms, depression is defined by the presence of a cluster of symptoms. The Diagnostic Manual used by many psychologists and psychiatrists cites nine symptoms of depression, of which five must be present for a two-week period. [More]
Bowel cancer survival in the UK: an interview with Camille Maringe, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Bowel cancer survival in the UK: an interview with Camille Maringe, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and second in women, with over 1.2 million cases diagnosed worldwide in 2008. [More]
RA, anti-TNF drugs and abortion rates: an interview with Dr. Evelyne Vinet and Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, McGill University

RA, anti-TNF drugs and abortion rates: an interview with Dr. Evelyne Vinet and Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, McGill University

Prednisone and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used for symptom control, but to prevent joint damage, we use disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including the cornerstone, methotrexate. [More]
Drug resistant brain tumors: an interview with Prof. Mischel, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Prof. Bensinger, University of California

Drug resistant brain tumors: an interview with Prof. Mischel, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Prof. Bensinger, University of California

In cancer, mutations in proteins that control cell growth are common, leading to unrestrained cellular proliferation and tumor formation. [More]
EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

EPAC2 and diabetes: an interview with Dr. Hussain, Johns Hopkins University

EPAC stands for exchange protein activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP). cAMP is an (among many) intracellular messenger molecule. cAMP is generated when certain hormones stimulate a cell by binding to their receptor, which is at the outside surface of the cell. [More]
HCV screening of prison inmate drug users: an interview with Dr. Arthur Kim, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

HCV screening of prison inmate drug users: an interview with Dr. Arthur Kim, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Prisoners overall have a very high rate of past or present injection drug use, which is a major risk factor for HCV infection due to repeated exposures to needles. [More]
Pancreatitis and diabetes drugs: an interview with Dr Sonal Singh, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Pancreatitis and diabetes drugs: an interview with Dr Sonal Singh, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas which leads to leakage of pancreatic enzymes. Apart from certain drugs such as GLP-1 based therapies, the most common causes of pancreatitis are Gallstones and Alcohol use. [More]
UK’s health performance: an interview with Prof. Murray, University of Washington

UK’s health performance: an interview with Prof. Murray, University of Washington

Rates of premature mortality in the UK have been falling steadily, but the pace of decline is not as fast as in many other high-income countries, such as Australia. In that sense, the UK lags behind. [More]
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB): an interview with Dr. Jennifer Cohn, Médecins Sans Frontières

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB): an interview with Dr. Jennifer Cohn, Médecins Sans Frontières

MDR-TB is tuberculosis, a mycobacterial infection, that has developed resistance to two important and powerful first-line anti-TB drugs, INH and rifampin. [More]
Nanogels to attack lupus: an interview with Dr Look and Dr Fahmy, Yale University

Nanogels to attack lupus: an interview with Dr Look and Dr Fahmy, Yale University

Nanogels are synthetic particles that can be used for drug delivery. They are approximately 100 nm to 200 nm in diameter, and are made from safe, biocompatible materials: a gel-like interior and a lipid exterior. [More]
DNAzymes, gold nanoparticles and disease detection: an interview with Dr Chan and Kyryl Zagorovsky, University of Toronto

DNAzymes, gold nanoparticles and disease detection: an interview with Dr Chan and Kyryl Zagorovsky, University of Toronto

Gold nanoparticles are tiny spherical particles made out of gold atoms with sizes on nanometre scale. This is around 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of human hair. [More]
Non-invasive brain surgery: an interview with Dr Andres Lozano, University of Toronto

Non-invasive brain surgery: an interview with Dr Andres Lozano, University of Toronto

MR-guided focused ultrasound is a new technique that involves focusing 1024 beams of ultrasound through the skull to a focal point in the brain, very much like using the sun and a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a sheet of paper. [More]
Telemedicine house calls for Parkinson’s patients: an interview with Dr Ray Dorsey, Johns Hopkins University

Telemedicine house calls for Parkinson’s patients: an interview with Dr Ray Dorsey, Johns Hopkins University

Access to neurological care for Parkinson disease is currently limited by distance, disability, and the distribution of doctors. [More]
Obesity epidemic in the Asia Pacific region: an interview with Prof Drexel, European Society of Cardiology

Obesity epidemic in the Asia Pacific region: an interview with Prof Drexel, European Society of Cardiology

The prevalence of obesity is about 20 % in Australia, 17 % in Japan, but only 3 – 4 % in China. Thus, Asia Pacific is a very heterogeneous region. [More]
Migraine severity and adiponectin: an interview with Dr. B. Lee Peterlin, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Migraine severity and adiponectin: an interview with Dr. B. Lee Peterlin, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Migraine affects an estimated 30 million people in the U.S, with the one year prevalence of migraine estimated at 12% of the general population, including 18% of all women and 6% of all men. [More]
GP clinics at hospitals: an interview with Dr Sharma, Monash University

GP clinics at hospitals: an interview with Dr Sharma, Monash University

Around 13 per cent of hospitals have a primary care unit within the emergency department and 6 per cent have a free standing primary care unit. [More]
Lynch syndrome and cancer risk: an interview with Prof. Ellen Kampman, Wageningen University

Lynch syndrome and cancer risk: an interview with Prof. Ellen Kampman, Wageningen University

Lynch syndrome is one of the inherited cancer syndromes characterized by the development of colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and other cancers at an early age. [More]
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway: an interview with Dr. Paul Mischel, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway: an interview with Dr. Paul Mischel, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

The mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR is a central integrator of the cell that coordinates growth factor receptor signaling with energy and nutrient status to control a wide array of activities, including the regulation of cellular proliferation and survival. [More]