Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Seasonal And Sex Variation Of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein In Healthy Adults: A Longitudinal Study, David E. Chiriboga, Yunsheng Ma, Wenjun Li, Edward J. Stanek, James R. Hébert, Philip A. Merriam, Eric S. Rawson, Ira S. Ockene

Edward J. Stanek

BACKGROUND

Cross-sectional studies have reported seasonal variation in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). However, longitudinal data are lacking. METHODS

We collected data on diet, physical activity, psychosocial factors, physiology, and anthropometric measurements from 534 healthy adults (mean age 48 years, 48.5% women, 87% white) at quarterly intervals over a 1-year period between 1994 and 1998. Using sinusoidal regression models, we estimated peak-to-trough amplitude and phase of the peaks. RESULTS

At baseline, average hsCRP was 1.72 mg/L (men, 1.75 mg/L; women, 1.68 mg/L). Overall seasonal variation amplitude was 0.16 mg/L (95% CI 0.02 to 0.30) and was lower in men (0.10 mg/L, …

Predicting Low Dose Effects For Chemicals In High Through-Put Studies, Edward J. Stanek, E. J. Calabrese

Edward J. Stanek

High through-put studies commonly use automated systems with 96-well plates in which multiple chemicals are tested at multiple doses using log-2 dose increments after a suitable incubation period. There are typically multiple (ranging from five to eleven) doses on each chemical, and occasionally plate replications of the dose-response studies. The target endpoint for such studies is typically the LC50, but for some chemicals, there may be multiple doses below a benchmark dose where there is no apparent adverse response relative to control response. We show how an estimation approach can lead to clearly interpretable results about response in the low …

Quantification Of Hormesis In Anticancer-Agent Dose-Responses, Marc A. Nascarella, Edward J. Stanek, George R. Hoffmann, Edward J. Calabrese

Edward J. Stanek

Quantitative features of dose responses were analyzed for 2,189 candidate anticancer agents in 13 strains of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The agents represent a diverse class of chemical compounds including mustards, other alkylating agents, and antimetabolites, inter alia. Previous analyses have shown that the responses below the toxic threshold were stimulatory and poorly predicted by a threshold dose-response model, while better explained by a hormetic dose-response model. We determined the quantitative features of the hormetic concentration-responses (n = 4,548) using previously published entry and evaluative criteria. The quantitative features that are described are: (1) the width of the concentration range showing …

Association Between Dietary Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, And High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, Jennifer A. Griffith, Yusheng Ma, Lisa Chasan-Taber, Barbara C. Olendzki, David E. Chiriboga, Edward J. Stanek, Philip A. Merriam, Ira S. Ockene

Edward J. Stanek

OBJECTIVE:

This study examined the relation between quality of dietary carbohydrate intake, as measured by glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. METHODS:

During a 1-y observational study, data were collected at baseline and at each quarter thereafter. GI and GL were calculated from multiple 24-h dietary recalls (24HRs), 3 randomly selected 24HRs at every quarter, with up to 15 24HRs per participant. The hs-CRP was measured in blood samples collected at baseline and each of the four quarterly measurement points. Multivariable linear mixed models were used to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal …

Effect Of Diet And Exercise On Body Composition, Energy Intake And Leptin Levels In Overweight Women And Men, Stella L. Volpe, Hati Kobusingye, Smita Bailfur, Edward J. Stanek

Edward J. Stanek

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of diet alone (D), exercise alone (E), and a combination of diet and exercise (DE) on body weight, body composition, energy intake, blood pressure, serum lipid and leptin levels, and fitness levels in mildly obese sedentary women and men. DESIGN: The three interventions were compared in a randomized longitudinal study design. The exercise programs were supervised for six months, after which participants in E and DE were provided with exercise equipment to take home. SUBJECTS: 90 adult overweight women and men (age: 44.2 +/- 7.2 years; BMI = 30.5 +/- 2.7 kg/m(2)). MEASUREMENTS: Body weight, …

Should Adjustment For Covariates Be Used In Prevalence Estimations?, Wenjun Li, Edward J. Stanek, Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson

Edward J. Stanek

Background

Adjustment for covariates (also called auxiliary variables in survey sampling literature) is commonly applied in health surveys to reduce the variances of the prevalence estimators. In theory, adjusted prevalence estimators are more accurate when variance components are known. In practice, variance components needed to achieve the adjustment are unknown and their sample estimators are used instead. The uncertainty introduced by estimating variance components may overshadow the reduction in the variance of the prevalence estimators due to adjustment. We present empirical guidelines indicating when adjusted prevalence estimators should be considered, using gender adjusted and unadjusted smoking prevalence as an illustration. …

Will You Remember Me In The Morning? Test-Retest Reliability Of A Social Network Analysis Examining Hiv-Related Risky Behavior In Urban Adolescents And Young Adults, Scott Clair, Jean J. Schensul, Monika Raju, Edward J. Stanek, Raul Pino

Edward J. Stanek

In recent years there has been a growing interest in applying social network models to the problem of adolescent substance use. However, there has been little research conducted examining the reliability of social network information within this population. The current study attempts to address this gap, specifically by examining social network test-retest reliability over a two week period among a sample of adolescent substance users. The results of the current study suggest that for social network variables dealing with substance use, reliabilities are at least moderate with correlations of.6 or above. However, there is a large degree of turnover with …

Are We Parent-Friendly? Social Workers’ Views Of Parents Of Children With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Harriette C. Johnson University Of Connecticut, David E. Cournoyer University Of Connecticut, June Filri, Miriam Flynn, Andrea M. Grant, Maryanne A. Lant, Spero Parasco, Edward J. Stanek

Edward J. Stanek

A current model of family-centered practice emphasizes empowerment of parents, an approach that brings together a strengths perspective, a constructivist emphasis on consumer voices, and knowledge derived from neuroscience of the last two decades. This study explored the extent to which a national random sample of National Association of Social Workers members hold beliefs and attitudes congruent with the parent empowerment perspective. Two profiles emerged from the data. Respondents who disagree with statements attributing blame to parents agree with sharing information openly with parents; believe that parents are doing their best, are credible reporters, and are experts about their own …

Soil Ingestion: A Concern For Acute Toxicity In Children, Edward J. Calabrese, Edward J. Stanek, Robert C. James, Stephen M. Roberts

Edward J. Stanek

Several soil ingestion studies have indicated that some children ingest substantial amounts of soil on given days. Although the EPA has assumed that 95% of children ingest 200 mg soil/day or less for exposure assessment purposes, some children have been observed to ingest up to 25-60 g soil during a single day. In light of the potential for children to ingest such large amounts of soil, an assessment was made of the possibility for soil pica episodes to result in acute intoxication from contaminant concentrations the EPA regards as representing conservative screening values (i.e., EPA soil screening levels and EPA …

Daily Estimates Of Soil Ingestion In Children, Edward J. Stanek, Edward J. Calabrese

Edward J. Stanek

Soil ingestion estimates play an important role in risk assessment of contaminated sites, and estimates of soil ingestion in children are of special interest. Current estimates of soil ingestion are trace-element specific and vary widely among elements. Although expressed as daily estimates, the actual estimates have been constructed by averaging soil ingestion over a study period of several days. The wide variability has resulted in uncertainty as to which method of estimation of soil ingestion is best. We developed a methodology for calculating a single estimate of soil ingestion for each subject for each day. Because the daily soil ingestion …

Resolving Intertracer Inconsistencies In Soil Ingestion Estimation, Edward J. Calabrese, Edward J. Stanek

Edward J. Stanek

In this article we explore sources and magnitude of positive and negative error in soil ingestion estimates for children on a subject-week and trace element basis. Errors varied among trace elements. Yttrium and zirconium displayed predominantly negative error; titanium and vanadium usually displayed positive error. These factors lead to underestimation of soil ingestion estimates by yttrium and zirconium and a large overestimation by vanadium. The most reliable tracers for soil ingestion estimates were aluminum, silicon, and yttrium. However, the most reliable trace element for a specific subject-day (or week) would be the element with the least error during that time …