Digital Commons Network^™

What Determines Auditory Similarity? The Effect Of Stimulus Group And Methodology., Kirsteen M. Aldrich, Elizabeth J. Hellier, Judy Edworthy

School of Psychology

Two experiments on the internal representation of auditory stimuli compared the pairwise and grouping methodologies as means of deriving similarity judgements. A total of 45 undergraduate students participated in each experiment, judging the similarity of short auditory stimuli, using one of the methodologies. The experiments support and extend Bonebright's (1996) findings, using a further 60 stimuli. Results from both methodologies highlight the importance of category information and acoustic features, such as root mean square (RMS) power and pitch, in similarity judgements. Results showed that the grouping task is a viable alternative to the pairwise task with N > 20 sounds whilst …

Small Individual Loans And Mental Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among South African Adults, Lia C. H. Fernald, Rita Hamad, Dean Karlan, Emily J. Ozer, Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: In the developing world, access to small, individual loans has been variously hailed as a poverty-alleviation tool – in the context of "microcredit" – but has also been criticized as "usury" and harmful to vulnerable borrowers. Prior studies have assessed effects of access to credit on traditional economic outcomes for poor borrowers, but effects on mental health have been largely ignored.

Methods: Applicants who had previously been rejected (n = 257) for a loan (200% annual percentage rate – APR) from a lender in South Africa were randomly assigned to a "second-look" that encouraged loan officers to approve their …

Scan-Rescan And Intra-Observer Variability Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Carotid Atherosclerosis At 1.5 T And 3.0 T, Arvin Vidal, Yves Bureau, Trevor Wade, J David Spence, Brian K Rutt, Aaron Fenster, Grace Parraga

Medical Biophysics Publications

Carotid atherosclerosis measurements for eight subjects at baseline and 14 +/- 2 days later were examined using 1.5 T and 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A single observer blinded to field strength, subject and timepoint manually segmented carotid artery wall and lumen boundaries in randomized images in five measurement trials. Mean increases in the signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for T1-weighted images acquired at 3.0 T compared to 1.5 T were 90% (scan) and 80% (rescan). Despite significantly improved SNR and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) for images acquired at 3.0 T, vessel wall volume (VWV) intra-observer variability was not significantly different using …

From Suffragettes To Grandmothers: A Qualitative Textual Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Five Female Politicians In Utah's Deseret News And Salt Lake Tribune, Holly M. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines press coverage in the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune of five female politicians in Utah history: Martha Hughes Cannon (1896), Reva Beck Bosone (1948), Karen Shepherd (1992), Enid Greene Waldholtz (1994), and Olene S. Walker (2003). A total of 438 articles were reviewed using qualitative textual analysis. Coverage by candidate varied, though it was not in general overtly biased concerning candidate gender. However, the press did call attention to the gender of candidate and gendered commentary was present. The press also called attention to the rarity of women running for high political office and addressed the …

Sustained Attention In Children With Two Etiologies Of Early Hydrocephalus, Maegan D. Swartwout, Paul T. Cirino, Amy W. Hampson, Jack M. Fletcher, Michael E. Brandt, Maureen Dennis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Several studies have shown that children with spina bifida meningomyelocele (SBM) and hydrocephalus have attention problems on parent ratings and difficulties in stimulus orienting associated with a posterior brain attention system. Less is known about response control and inhibition associated with an anterior brain attention system. Using the Gordon Vigilance Task (Gordon, 1983), we studied error rate, reaction time, and performance over time for sustained attention, a key anterior attention function, in 101 children with SBM, 17 with aqueductal stenosis (AS; another condition involving congenital hydrocephalus), and 40 typically developing controls (NC). In SBM, we investigated the relation between cognitive …

Focus On Rna Isolation: Obtaining Rna For Microrna (Mirna) Expression Profiling Analyses Of Neural Tissue, Wang-Xia Wang, Bernard R. Wilfred, Donald A. Baldwin, R. Benjamin Isett, Na Ren, Arnold J. Stromberg, Peter T. Nelson

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are present in all known plant and animal tissues and appear to be somewhat concentrated in the mammalian nervous system. Many different miRNA expression profiling platforms have been described. However, relatively little research has been published to establish the importance of 'upstream' variables in RNA isolation for neural miRNA expression profiling. We tested whether apparent changes in miRNA expression profiles may be associated with tissue processing, RNA isolation techniques, or different cell types in the sample. RNA isolation was performed on a single brain sample using eight different RNA isolation methods, and results were correlated using a conventional …

Focal Cerebral Ischemia In The Tnfalpha-Transgenic Rat, L. Creed Pettigrew, Mark S. Kindy, Stephen W. Scheff, Joe E. Springer, Richard J. Kryscio, Yizhao Li, David S. Grass

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: To determine if chronic elevation of the inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), will affect infarct volume or cortical perfusion after focal cerebral ischemia.

METHODS: Transgenic (TNFalpha-Tg) rats overexpressing the murine TNFalpha gene in brain were prepared by injection of mouse DNA into rat oocytes. Brain levels of TNFalpha mRNA and protein were measured and compared between TNFalpha-Tg and non-transgenic (non-Tg) littermates. Mean infarct volume was calculated 24 hours or 7 days after one hour of reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Cortical perfusion was monitored by laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) during MCAO. Cortical vascular density was quantified by stereology. …

Illusory Vowels Resulting From Perceptual Continuity: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study, Antje Heinrich, Robert P Carlyon, Matthew H Davis, Ingrid Johnsrude

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the neural processing of vowels whose perception depends on the continuity illusion. Participants heard sequences of two-formant vowels under a number of listening conditions. In the "vowel conditions," both formants were always present simultaneously and the stimuli were perceived as speech-like. Contrasted with a range of nonspeech sounds, these vowels elicited activity in the posterior middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and superior temporal sulcus (STS). When the two formants alternated in time, the "speech-likeness" of the sounds was reduced. It could be partially restored by filling the silent gaps in each formant with …

Effect Of Progressive Mandibular Advancement On Pharyngeal Airway Size In Anesthetized Adults, Samuel T Kuna, Lee C Woodson, Daneshvari R Solanki, Oliver Esch, Donald E Frantz, Mali Mathru

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: General anesthesia in adult humans is associated with narrowing or complete closure of the pharyngeal airway. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of progressive mandibular advancement on pharyngeal airway size in normal adults during intravenous infusion of propofol for anesthesia.

METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in nine normal adults during wakefulness and during propofol anesthesia. A commercially available intraoral appliance was used to manually advance the mandible. Images were obtained during wakefulness without the appliance and during anesthesia with the participants wearing the appliance under three conditions: without mandibular advancement, advancement to 50% maximum …

Characteristics Of A Spina Bifida Population Including North American Caucasian And Hispanic Individuals, Kit Sing Au, Phong X Tran, Chester C Tsai, Michelle R O'Byrne, Jone-Ing Lin, Alanna C Morrison, Amy W Hampson, Paul Cirino, Jack M Fletcher, Kathryn K Ostermaier, Gayle H Tyerman, Sabine Doebel, Hope Northrup

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Meningomyelocele (MM) is a common human birth defect. MM is a disorder of neural development caused by contributions from genes and environmental factors that result in the NTD and lead to a spectrum of physical and neurocognitive phenotypes.

METHODS: A multidisciplinary approach has been taken to develop a comprehensive understanding of MM through collaborative efforts from investigators specializing in genetics, development, brain imaging, and neurocognitive outcome. Patients have been recruited from five different sites: Houston and the Texas-Mexico border area; Toronto, Canada; Los Angeles, California; and Lexington, Kentucky. Genetic risk factors for MM have been assessed by genotyping and …

Design And Rationale Of A Randomized Trial Comparing The Blalock-Taussig And Right Ventricle-Pulmonary Artery Shunts In The Norwood Procedure., Richard G. Ohye, J William Gaynor, Nancy S. Ghanayem, Caren S. Goldberg, Peter C. Laussen, Peter C. Frommelt, Jane W. Newburger, Gail D. Pearson, Sarah Tabbutt, Gil Wernovsky, Lisa M. Wruck, Andrew M. Atz, Steve D. Colan, James Jaggers, Brian W. Mccrindle, Ashwin Prakash, Michael D. Puchalski, Lynn A. Sleeper, Mario P. Stylianou, Lynn Mahony, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: The initial palliative procedure for patients born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and related single right ventricle anomalies, the Norwood procedure, remains among the highest risk procedures in congenital heart surgery. The classic Norwood procedure provides pulmonary blood flow with a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt. Improved outcomes have been reported in a few small, nonrandomized studies of a modification of the Norwood procedure that uses a right ventricle-pulmonary artery shunt to provide pulmonary blood flow. Other nonrandomized studies have shown no differences between the two techniques.

METHODS: The Pediatric Heart Network designed a randomized clinical trial to compare outcomes for …

The Performance Of Human Papillomavirus High-Risk Dna Testing In The Screening And Diagnostic Settings, Marylou Cárdenas-Turanzas, Graciela M Nogueras-Gonzalez, Michael E Scheurer, Karen Adler-Storthz, J L Benedet, J Robert Beck, Michele Follen, Scott B Cantor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the performance of the human papillomavirus high-risk DNA test in patients 30 years and older.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Screening (n=835) and diagnosis (n=518) groups were defined based on prior Papanicolaou smear results as part of a clinical trial for cervical cancer detection. We compared the Hybrid Capture II (HCII) test result with the worst histologic report. We used cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2/3 or worse as the reference of disease. We calculated sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and areas under the ROC curves for the …

The Dose-Response Of Nitrous Oxide In Postoperative Nausea In Patients Undergoing Gynecologic Laparoscopic Surgery: A Preliminary Study., Boris Mraovic, Tatjana Simurina, Zdenko Sonicki, Neven Skitarelic, Tong J. Gan

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Whether nitrous oxide (N(2)O) increases the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after laparoscopic gynecologic surgery is still controversial, which may be due to the administration of different concentrations of inspired N(2)O. We investigated whether N(2)O results in a dose-response increase in PONV. METHODS: Patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgery were randomized to receive 30% oxygen with air (G0, n = 46), 50% N(2)O with oxygen (G50, n = 46), or 70% N(2)O with oxygen (G70, n = 45). A standardized general anesthetic was used with no PONV prophylaxis. Known risk factors for PONV were controlled. Metoclopramide was used …

Direct Estimation Of Evoked Hemoglobin Changes By Multimodality Fusion Imaging, Theodore J. Huppert, Solomon G. Diamond, David A. Boas

Dartmouth Scholarship

In the last two decades, both diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD)-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods have been developed as noninvasive tools for imaging evoked cerebral hemodynamic changes in studies of brain activity. Although these two technologies measure functional contrast from similar physiological sources, i.e., changes in hemoglobin levels, these two modalities are based on distinct physical and biophysical principles leading to both limitations and strengths to each method. In this work, we describe a unified linear model to combine the complimentary spatial, temporal, and spectroscopic resolutions of concurrently measured optical tomography and fMRI …

Cd5 Plays An Inhibitory Role In The Suppressive Function Of Murine Cd4(+) Cd25(+) T(Reg) Cells., Trivikram Dasu, Joseph E Qualls, Halide Tuna, Chander Raman, Donald A Cohen, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

A subset of CD4(+) T cells, the CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells in the lymphoid organs and peripheral blood are known to possess suppressive function. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that T cell receptor (TCR) signal is required for development of such 'natural regulatory (T(reg)) cells' and for activation of the effector function of CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells. CD5 is a cell surface molecule present on all T cells and a subtype of B lymphocytes, the B-1 cells, primarily localized to coelomic cavities, Peyer's patches, tonsils and spleen. CD5 acts as a negative regulator …

Cd5 Plays An Inhibitory Role In The Suppressive Function Of Murine Cd4+ Cd25+ TReg Cells, Trivikram Dasu, Joseph E. Qualls, Halide Tuna, Chander Raman, Donald A. Cohen, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

A subset of CD4⁺ T cells, the CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T (T_reg) cells in the lymphoid organs and peripheral blood are known to possess suppressive function. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that T cell receptor (TCR) signal is required for development of such ‘natural regulatory (T_reg) cells’ and for activation of the effector function of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells. CD5 is a cell surface molecule present on all T cells and a subtype of B lymphocytes, the B-1 cells, primarily localized to coelomic cavities, Peyer's patches, …

Quantification Of Carotid Vessel Wall And Plaque Thickness Change Using 3d Ultrasound Images, Bernard Chiu, Micaela Egger, J David Spence, Grace Parraga, Aaron Fenster

Medical Biophysics Publications

Quantitative measurements of carotid plaque burden progression or regression are important in monitoring patients and in evaluation of new treatment options. 3D ultrasound (US) has been used to monitor the progression or regression of carotid artery plaques. This paper reports on the development and application of a method used to analyze changes in carotid plaque morphology from 3D US. The technique used is evaluated using manual segmentations of the arterial wall and lumen from 3D US images acquired in two imaging sessions. To reduce the effect of segmentation variability, segmentation was performed five times each for the wall and lumen. …

Women Bound To Be Active: A Pilot Study To Explore The Feasibility Of An Intervention To Increase Physical Activity And Self-Worth In Women, Jennifer L. Huberty, Jamie Vener, Cara Sidman, Jessica Meendering, Bryan Blissmer, Laura Schulte, Judith A. Flohr, Lynda B. Ransdell

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasing physical activity (PA) has become a national health objective due to its associated health benefits, but low participation rates. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of an 8-month (September 2006 - April 2007) PA book club (Women Bound to Be Active-WBA) in increasing PA and self-worth (SW) among women. Fifty-six adult women participated in an 8-month intervention consisting of weekly meetings designed to improve PA knowledge, awareness, confidence, and SW. Results indicated a significant increase in PA and SW. The WBA program represents a creative theory-based approach to empowering women to be more active.

Muscle-Bone Relationships In The Lower Leg Of Healthy Pre-Pubertal Females And Males, Teresa L. Binkley, Bonny Specker

Ethel Austin Martin Program Publications

Muscle-bone relationships in healthy pre-pubertal children were investigated using four muscle measures as predictors of tibial strength: 66% tibia cross-sectional muscle area (CSMA) by pQCT; leg lean mass (LLM) by DXA; and muscle power (Power) and force (Force) measured during a two-footed jump. Polar strength strain index (pSSI), a calculated surrogate for bone strength at the 20% distal tibia, was obtained on 105 (54 male) self-assessed pre-pubertal children. The amount of muscle (CSMA, LLM) may influence bone strength more than muscle strength (Power, Force) during periods of rapid growth. Correlations and multiple regression partial-R values from models controlling for age, …

Integrative Medicine Research At An Academic Medical Center: Patient Characteristics And Health-Related Quality-Of-Life Outcomes., Jeffrey M Greeson, Steven Rosenzweig, Steven C Halbert, Ira S Cantor, Matthew T Keener, George C Brainard

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

OBJECTIVE: To characterize patients seeking care at a university-based integrative medicine practice, and to assess short-term changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with integrative medical treatment.

DESIGN: Prospective, observational study.

SETTING: This study was conducted at a large U.S. academic medical center affiliated with the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine.

PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and sixty-three (763) new patients with diverse medical conditions participated in the study. Mean age was 49 years (standard deviation = 16, range = 14-93). Two thirds of patients were women and three quarters were white. The most common International Classification of …

Functional Status, Heart Rate, And Rhythm Abnormalities In 521 Fontan Patients 6 To 18 Years Of Age., Andrew D. Blaufox, Lynn A. Sleeper, David J. Bradley, Roger E. Breitbart, Allan Hordof, Ronald J. Kanter, Elizabeth A. Stephenson, Mario Stylianou, Victoria L. Vetter, J Philip Saul, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to determine the relationship between functional outcome and abnormalities of heart rate and rhythm after the Fontan operation.

METHODS: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Pediatric Heart Network conducted a cross-sectional analysis of patients who had undergone a Fontan procedure at the 7 network centers. Analysis was based on 521 patients with an electrocardiogram (n = 509) and/or bicycle exercise test (n = 404). The Child Health Questionnaire parent report and the oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold were used as markers of functional outcome.

RESULTS: Various Fontan procedures had been performed: intracardiac lateral tunnel …

Medical Students: Abuse Of Psychoactive Substances And Sexuality Aspects, Kepler Alencar Mendes Carvalho, Maria José Carvalho Sant'anna, Verônica Coates, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

University students aged 17 to 24 years of age are prone to many risk factors.

OBJECTIVES: Identify risk factors related to exploring sexuality and characteristics of consumption of psychoactive substances in students attending medical school.

METHODS: 465 Medical students from Santa Casa of São Paulo Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCMSCSP) were prospectively and transversely evaluated during 2005. An anonymous, semi-structured, self-filling questionnaire was used. The average age of the students was 21.5 years, 43% females. 76.2% preferred alcohol, and 11.1% tobacco consumption; chloroethane (lança-perfume) consumption occurred in 22.6% and 15.3% consumption of other types of illicit drugs, with marijuana as …

Medical Supervision Of Young Female Athletes Training In Complex Coordinational Sports, Irina Schevchenko, Viktor V. Abramov, Paul T Gibson, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This article proposes simple medical criteria that can be used by trainers and others for effective medical supervision of young female athletes.

METHODS: The cross-sectional, age-stratified study compared girls 10-17 years of age involved in intensive training in gymnastic floor exercises, trampoline, or badminton. Each sport and/or control group was represented by 40-45 girls. Data included medical history, morphometric variables and observation of biological development.

RESULTS: Gymnasts started training earliest (approximately 5-years-old) and trained most intensely (18-20 h/wk), followed by trampolinists and then badmintonists. Height, weight, body mass index, and % body fat were reduced in athletes, with gymnasts showing …

Neurological And Behavioral Abnormalities, Ventricular Dilatation, Altered Cellular Functions, Inflammation, And Neuronal Injury In Brains Of Mice Due To Common, Persistent, Parasitic Infection, Gretchen Hermes, James W. Ajioka, Krystyna A. Kelly, Ernest Mui, Fiona Roberts, Kristen Kasza, Thomas Mayr, Michael J. Kirisits, Robert Wollman, David J.P Ferguson, Craig W. Roberts, Jong-Hee Hwang, Toria Trendler, Richard P. Kennan, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Catherine Reardon, William F. Hickey, Lieping Chen, Rima Mcleod

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Worldwide, approximately two billion people are chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii with largely unknown consequences.

Methods:

To better understand long-term effects and pathogenesis of this common, persistent brain infection, mice were infected at a time in human years equivalent to early to mid adulthood and studied 5–12 months later. Appearance, behavior, neurologic function and brain MRIs were studied. Additional analyses of pathogenesis included: correlation of brain weight and neurologic findings; histopathology focusing on brain regions; full genome microarrays; immunohistochemistry characterizing inflammatory cells; determination of presence of tachyzoites and bradyzoites; electron microscopy; and study of markers of inflammation in serum. …

Spatiotemporal Postural Control Deficits Are Present In Those With Chronic Ankle Instability, Patrick O. Mckeon, Jay Hertel

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Postural control deficits have been purported to be a potential contributing factor in chronic ankle instability (CAI). Summary forceplate measures such as center of pressure velocity and area have not consistently detected postural control deficits associated with CAI. A novel measurement technique derived from the dynamical systems theory of motor control known as Time-to-boundary (TTB) has shown promise in detecting deficits in postural control related to chronic ankle instability (CAI). In a previous study, TTB deficits were detected in a sample of females with CAI. The purpose of this study was to examine postural control in sample of males …

Increasing Tumor Volume Is Predictive Of Poor Overall And Progression-Free Survival: Secondary Analysis Of The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 93-11 Phase I-Ii Radiation Dose-Escalation Study In Patients With Inoperable Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Maria Werner-Wasik, R. Suzanne Swann, Jeffrey Bradley, Mary Graham, Bahman Emami, James Purdy, William Sause

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 93-11 trial received radiation doses of 70.9, 77.4, 83.8, or 90.3 Gy. The locoregional control and survival rates were similar among the various dose levels. We investigated the effect of the gross tumor volume (GTV) on the outcome.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: The GTV was defined as the sum of the volumes of the primary tumor and involved lymph nodes. The tumor response, median survival time (MST), and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed separately for smaller (< or =45 cm(3)) vs. larger (>45 cm(3)) tumors.

RESULTS: The distribution of …

Intrasheath Subluxation Of The Peroneal Tendons., Steven M Raikin, Ilan Elias, Levon N Nazarian

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Dislocation or subluxation of the peroneal tendons out of the peroneal groove under a torn or avulsed superior peroneal retinaculum has been well described. We identified a new subgroup of patients with intrasheath subluxation of these tendons within the peroneal groove and with an otherwise intact retinaculum.

METHODS: The cases of fifty-seven patients with painful snapping of the peroneal tendons posterior to the fibula were reviewed. Of these, forty-three had tendons that could be reproducibly subluxated out of the groove with a dorsiflexion-eversion maneuver of the ankle. Fourteen patients who could not subluxate the tendons out of the groove …

Voices Raised, Issue 20, University Of Dayton. Women's Center

Women’s Center Newsletter

Included in this issue: Advocates for Women’s Equality All Year Long; How to Get More Efficient women in the Workplace; Portrait of a Alumna; “Gay? I’m Cool With That”; The Do’s and Don’t of Making a Good, Professional Impression; 10 Powerful Career Strategies; Women’s History Month!; What have YOU been doing for the past five years?.

Impaired Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation In Overweight And Obese Adult Humans Is Not Limited To Muscarinic Receptor Agonists, Gary P. Van Guilder, Brian L Stauffer, Jared J Greiner, Christopher A Desouza

Health and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Muscarinic receptor agonists have primarily been used to characterize endothelium-dependent vasodilator dysfunction with overweight/obesity. Reliance on a single class of agonist, however, yields limited, and potentially misleading, information regarding endothelial vasodilator capacity. The aims of this study were to determine 1) whether the overweight/obesity-related reduction in endothelium-dependent vasodilation extends beyond muscarinic receptor agonists and 2) whether the contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to endothelium-dependent vasodilation is reduced in overweight/obese adults. Eighty-six middle-aged and older adults were studied: 42 normal-weight (54 +/- 1 yr, 21 men and 21 women, body mass index = 23.4 +/- 0.3 kg/m(2)) and 44 overweight/obese (54 …

17beta-Estradiol Increases Basal But Not Bradykinin-Stimulated Release Of Active T-Pa In Young Postmenopausal Women, Mias Pretorius, Gary Van Guilder, Raul J Guzman, James M Luther, Nancy J Brown

Health and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition potentiates basal and bradykinin-stimulated tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) release to a greater extent in women than in men. This study tested the hypothesis that 17beta-estradiol enhances the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on t-PA release in young postmenopausal women. We conducted a double-blind, prospective, crossover study in 14 young postmenopausal women (mean age 48.2+/-2.3 years) who were randomized to receive 17beta-estradiol (1 mg/d) or matching placebo for 4 weeks. At the end of each treatment period, we measured the effect of intraarterial infusion of bradykinin, methacholine, and nitroprusside on forearm blood flow and net t-PA release, before …