Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Aging And The Public Health Impact Of Dementia, Ron Brookmeyer, Claudia Kawas

Ron Brookmeyer

No abstract provided.

Parametric And Nonparametric Methods For Understanding The Relationship Between Carcinogen-Induced Dna Adduct Levels In Distal And Proximal Regions Of The Colon., Jeffrey S. Morris, Naisyin Wang, Joanne R. Lupton, Robert S. Chapkin, Nancy D. Turner, Mee-Young Hong, Raymond J. Carroll

Jeffrey S. Morris

An important problem in studying the etiology of colon cancer is understanding the relationship between DNA adduct levels (broadly, DNA damage) in cells within colonic crypts in distal and proximal parts of the colon, following treatment with a carcinogen and different types of diet. In particular, it is important to understand whether rats who have elevated adduct levels in particular positions in distal region crypts also have elevated levels in the same positions of the crypts in proximal regions, and whether this relationship depends on diet. We cast this problem as estimating the correlation function of two responses as a …

Transforming Self-Rated Health And The Sf-36 Scales To Include Death And Improve Interpretability, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

BACKGROUND: Most measures of health-related quality of life are undefined for people who die. Longitudinal analyses are often limited to a healthier cohort (survivors) that cannot be identified prospectively, and that may have had little change in health. OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate methods to transform a single self-rated health item (excellent to poor; EVGGFP) and the physical component score of the SF-36 (PCS) to new variables that include a defensible value for death. METHODS: Using longitudinal data from two large studies of older adults, health variables were transformed to the probability of being healthy in the future, conditional on …

Methods For Volume Measurement In 3d Images, Kevin J. Black

Kevin J. Black, MD

Teaching The Human Dimensions Of Care In The Clinical Settings, William T. Branch Jr. Md, Macp

William T.Branch Jr.MD

Despite repeated calls to emphasize the humanistic dimensions of care during medical education, these are few known techniques for effective teaching of humanism. We describe the barriers that inhibit humanistic teaching and suggest pragmatic teaching methods to overcome such barriers and teach humanistic care in clinical settings. We began by asking participants at a conference on patient-physician communications sponsored by the American Academy on Physician and Patient in June 1998, "What can we do in the patient's presence to improve and teach the human dimensions of care? Please provide one or more examples of approaches you found to be effective." …

Probabilities Of Transition Among Health States For Older Adults, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

GOAL: To estimate the probabilities of transition among self-rated health states for older adults, and examine how they vary by age and sex. METHODS: We used self-rated health (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor, dead) collected in two longitudinal studies of older adults (mean age 75) to estimate the probability of transition in 2 years. We used the estimates to project future health for selected cohorts. FINDINGS: These older adults were most likely to be in the same health state 2 years later, but a substantial proportion changed in both directions. Transition probabilities varied by initial health state, age and …

Patterns Of Self-Rated Health In Older Adults Before And After Sentinel Events, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare patterns of change in self-rated health for older adults before death and before and after stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cardiac procedure, hospital admission for cancer, and hip fracture. DESIGN: "Event cohort," measuring time in months before and after the event. SETTING: Four U.S. communities. PARTICIPANTS: 5888 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), sampled from Medicare rolls and followed up to 8 years. Mean age at baseline was 73. MEASUREMENTS: Self-rated health, including a category for death, assessed at 6-month intervals, and ascertainment of events. METHODS: We examined the percentage that was healthy …

Abnormal Expression Of P27kip1 Protein In Levator Ani Muscle Of Aging Women With Pelvic Floor Disorders – A Relationship To The Cellular Differentiation And Degeneration, Antonin Bukovsky, Pleas Copas, Michael R. Caudle, Maria Cekanova Ms, Rndr, Phd, Tamara Dassanayake, Bridgett Asbury, Stuart E. Van Meter, Robert F. Elder, Jeffrey B. Brown, Stephanie B. Cross

Maria Cekanova MS, RNDr, PhD

Background Pelvic floor disorders affect almost 50% of aging women. An important role in the pelvic floor support belongs to the levator ani muscle. The p27/kip1 (p27) protein, multifunctional cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, shows changing expression in differentiating skeletal muscle cells during development, and relatively high levels of p27 RNA were detected in the normal human skeletal muscles.

Methods Biopsy samples of levator ani muscle were obtained from 22 symptomatic patients with stress urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and overlaps (age range 38–74), and nine asymptomatic women (age 31–49). Cryostat sections were investigated for p27 protein expression and type I (slow …

Electrolytic Lesion Of The Anterior Cingulate Cortex Decreases Inflammatory, But Not Neuropathic Nociceptive Behavior In Rats, Renee R. Donahue, Perry N. Fuchs, Stacey C. Lagraize

Renee R. Donahue

The present study investigated the effect of lesions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) on mechanical allodynia / hyperalgesia after L5 ligation or on inflammatory nociceptive responses following formalin injection in the rat. For both the neuropathic and inflammatory pain models, three groups of animals were used. The control groups consisted of a group of sham lesioned animals and a group of animals that had unilateral damage to the ACC or unilateral / bilateral damage to surrounding cortical tissue. The third group consisted of animals that had at least 75% bilateral damage of the ACC. Subjects received L5 ligation or …

Enhanced Formalin Nociceptive Responses Following L5 Nerve Ligation In The Rat Reveals Neuropathy-Induced Inflammatory Hyperalgesia, Renee R. Donahue, Perry N. Fuchs

Renee R. Donahue

The development of mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity following peripheral nerve injury is well known and a great deal of research has been directed towards understanding the mechanisms underlying these phenomena. However, there has been very little research examining if hypersensitivity to an inflammatory condition following nerve injury also develops. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine if hypersensitivity to an inflammatory condition produced in the formalin test develops following ligation of the L5 spinal nerve. Male Sprague–Dawley rats received tight ligation of the L5 spinal nerve or were given sham surgery. Following a 14-day recovery period, the …

Role Of Ampa And Glur5 Kainate Receptors In The Development And Expression Of Amygdala Kindling In The Mouse, Michael A. Rogawski, Philip S. Kurzman, Shun-Ichi Yamaguchi, He Li

Michael A. Rogawski

The role of AMPA and GluR5-containing kainate receptors in the development and expression of amygdala kindling was examined using the selective 2,3-benzodiazepine AMPA receptor antagonist GYKI 52466 [(1-(4-aminophenyl)-4-methyl-7,8-methylenedioxy-5H-2, 3-benzodiazepine] and the decahydroisoquinoline mixed AMPA receptor and GluR5 kainate receptor antagonist LY293558 {(3S,4aR,6R, 8aR)-6-[2-(1(2)H-tetrazole-5-yl)ethyl]decahydroisoquinoline- 3-carboxy lic acid)}. Administration of GYKI 52466 (5-40 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) and LY293558 (10-40 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) prior to daily kindling stimulation in mice produced a dose-dependent suppression of the rate of development of behavioral kindled seizure activity and reduced the duration of the stimulation-induced electrographic afterdischarge. In drug-free stimulation sessions after the initial drug-treatment sessions, there was an …