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Biomedical subjects

B Newman

Publications and source records attributed to B Newman.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Heritability of longitudinal changes in coronary-heart-disease risk factors in women twins.

Numerous studies have demonstrated genetic influences on levels of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors, but there also may be genetic effects on the intraindividual variation in these risk factors over time. Changes in risk factors are likely to reflect genetic-environmental interactions and may have important implications for understanding CHD risk. The present study examines the heritability of changes in CHD risk factors, using data from the two examinations by the Kaiser Permanente Women Twins Study, performed a decade apart. The sample consisted of 348 pairs of women twins who participated in both examinations, including 203 MZ pairs and 145 DZ pairs. Average ages at the two examinations were 41 and 51 years, respectively. By means of three different statistical analytic approaches, moderate heritability estimates were demonstrated for changes in LDL cholesterol (h2 = .25-.36) and in HDL cholesterol (h2 = .23-.58), some of which were statistically significant. Although small to moderate heritability estimates were found for systolic blood pressure (.18-.37; P < .05 for some estimates), no genetic influence on changes in diastolic blood pressure was detected. Based on longitudinal twin data in women, this study demonstrates a genetic influence on changes in both lipoprotein risk factors and systolic blood pressure over a decade. In addition to environmental factors, which clearly are operating, the effect of various "variability genes" may be acting independently of the genetic influences on the absolute levels of these risk factors. Both mapping the gene(s) underlying intraindividual variations in these CHD risk factors and understanding their function(s) could lead to targeted intervention strategies to reduce CHD risk among genetically susceptible individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Informal jobs: another occupational hazard for women's mental health?

OBJECTIVES: The hypothesis that informal jobs, which imply absence of formal labour contracts, instability and the absence of fringe benefits, are positively associated with psychiatric symptoms was evaluated in a poor urban area of Brazil. METHODS: With data from a cross-sectional study, the association between informal jobs and high number of psychological symptoms was estimated. The study population was composed of 327 women randomly selected from a community in the city of Salvador, Brazil. Women who reported having a job without a formal contract were classified as informal workers. Psychological symptoms were collected through a validated questionnaire, the QMPA. RESULTS: A positive association between informal work and a high number of psychological symptoms was found (crude prevalence ratio = 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24-2.85). More than 4 hours of housework a day and being a family head were confounders, although adjustment for these variables did not significantly change the results (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.26-3.09). CONCLUSIONS: These findings are suggestive that informal work may be a risk for mental symptoms. Reinforcement of universal labour rights coverage and improvement in housework sharing are recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Acupuncture in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

The efficacy of intra-operative acupuncture at the PC6 point in the prevention of postoperative nausea or vomiting was studied. A double-blind randomised controlled study of acupuncture versus placebo was performed in 81 patients scheduled for day case gynaecological laparoscopic surgery. Failure of treatment was defined as the occurrence of nausea or vomiting prior to or within 24 h of discharge. The use of acupuncture reduced the incidence of postoperative nausea or vomiting in hospital from 65% to 35% compared with placebo and after discharge from 69% to 31% compared with placebo.

Acupuncture Points↗
PubMed1997

Splenic lymphangiomatosis in children.

PURPOSE: To study the clinical and imaging features of splenic lymphangiomatosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical and abdominal imaging data of 10 children with splenic lymphangiomatosis were retrospectively reviewed. The modalities used in the study included computed tomography (CT) (10 patients), sonography (five patients), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (two patients). Pathologic confirmation of lymphangiomatosis was obtained in nine patients. RESULTS: Splenic lymphangiomatosis was discovered incidentally in all cases and was a key finding in enabling the correct diagnosis in six children with extrasplenic disease as well. Only two children had clinical splenomegaly. Sonograms and MR images showed multiple, wEll-defined cysts. Multiple, low-attenuation lesions that did not enhance with intravenous administration of contrast material (n = 8) or a mottled spleen (n = 2) were seen at CT. One of the mottled spleens had target lesions on an early (arterial) image obtained after administration of a bolus of contrast material. One child underwent a splenectomy; one child underwent therapeutic embolization. Eight patients remained asymptomatic with respect to the spleen 1-20 years later. CONCLUSION: Splenic lymphangiomatosis is often an incidental imaging finding that frequently has a characteristic imaging appearance. The recognition of this appearance helps in diagnosis of this disease and may prevent the need for further invasive procedures. Splenic changes can be isolated or can coexist with bone or soft-tissue lymphangiomas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Diagnosis and management of left main stem bronchus compression.

There are four major variants of congenital vascular tracheal compression: innominate artery, aberrant subclavian, aorta or aortic arch anomaly, and pulmonary artery sling. These forms of vascular compression typically involve the trachea and/or the right main stem bronchus. We present eight cases of congenital vascular compression involving the left main stem bronchus. These cases represent a poorly understood variant of vascular tracheal compression. This variant represents approximately 10% of our pediatric tracheobronchial compression or stenosis patients. The finding, both noted endoscopically and now illustrated by magnetic resonance imaging, is caused by compression of the left main stem bronchus between the descending aorta and a portion of the pulmonary artery. Frequently, the descending aorta is in an abnormal anterior position with relation to the thoracic spine. Recognition of this entity is important in our experience and has influenced clinical management. In four of eight children, it required a surgical procedure directed toward the relief of the left main stem compression.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1997

MR evaluation of right pulmonary agenesis and vascular airway compression in pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spectrum of airway and vascular anomalies in agenesis of the right lung and to assess the role of imaging in defining the anatomy. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic children with right lung agenesis often have anatomic distortion of the airway with vascular compression, and occasionally they have intrinsic airway stenosis. MR imaging most accurately defines the entire spectrum of airway and vascular anatomic abnormalities. Precise delineation of the anatomy is essential in patient management and surgical planning.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1997

A high proportion of novel mutations in BRCA1 with strong founder effects among Dutch and Belgian hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families.

We have identified 79 mutations in BRCA1 in a set of 643 Dutch and 23 Belgian hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families collected either for research or for clinical diagnostic purposes. Twenty-eight distinct mutations have been observed, 18 of them not previously reported and 12 of them occurring more than once. Most conspicuously, a 2804delAA mutation has been found 19 times and has never been reported outside the Netherlands. A common haplotype spanning > or = 375 kb could be identified for each of the nine examined recurrent mutations, indicating the presence of multiple BRCA1 founder mutations in the Dutch population. The 2804delAA mutation has been estimated to have originated approximately 32 generations ago. No specific breast or ovarian cancer phenotype could be assigned to any of the common mutations, and the ovarian cancer incidence among 18 families with the 2804delAA mutation was heterogeneous.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Reproductive history, use of exogenous hormones, and risk of colorectal adenomas.

Evidence suggests a role for reproductive and hormonal factors in the etiology of colorectal cancer. Investigation of adenomas, the presumed precursors of cancer, and reproductive characteristics may place such associations within a particular stage of carcinogenesis. We examined parity, age at first birth, age at menopause, and age at menarche as well as contraceptive and noncontraceptive hormone use in a case-control study of 347 women (115 cases with adenomas and 232 controls) conducted in North Carolina. Using unconditional logistic regression analysis, increasing age at menopause was found to be associated with a reduction in the risk of adenomas [odds ratio (OR), 0.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.10-0.68]. An increased risk for adenomas was found for women undergoing surgical menopause as compared with women undergoing natural menopause (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.05-4.21). Our results suggest a reduced risk of adenomas associated with noncontraceptive hormone use that was limited to a subgroup of women with natural menopause or bilateral oophorectomy (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.15-0.97). No associations were seen between other reproductive characteristics and adenomas. These results suggest protective effects for both endogenous and exogenous female hormones that operate early in the process of carcinogenesis. Alternatively, lifestyle factors or other correlates of exogenous hormone use and delayed menopause could play a role in reduced adenoma risk.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1997

Breast cancer survival and the timing of tumor removal during the menstrual cycle.

In a retrospective cohort study of 262 premenopausal breast cancer patients treated at the Mayo Clinic between 1965 and 1985, we investigated whether survival was associated with the timing of tumor removal during the menstrual cycle. Participants were women < or = 50 years old who had not used exogenous hormones, been pregnant, been lactating, or given birth within 6 months of diagnosis. The menstrual cycle day at surgery was used to assign women to group 1 (cycle days 0-7), group 2 (cycle days 8-15), or group 3 (after cycle day 15). Cox proportional hazards analysis adjusting for age at diagnosis, stage, tumor size, grade, and node involvement showed a nonsignificantly worse survival for group 2 than for group 3 [hazard ratio (HR), 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89-2.23]. Stratification revealed that the association between survival and timing of tumor removal during the menstrual cycle was slightly stronger among patients with stage II disease (adjusted HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 0.92-2.63). The association was the same among patients with stage II disease and node involvement (adjusted HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.82-3.03). Prospective studies using hormone measurements to define menstrual cycle status more accurately than the reported day of the menstrual cycle could provide further insight about the postulated association.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Genetic and environmental influences on insulin levels and the insulin resistance syndrome: an analysis of women twins.

Multiple factors may determine insulin resistance and the insulin resistance syndrome. The contributions of genes and environment to the distribution of fasting insulin levels and to the associations of fasting insulin with elements of the syndrome were evaluated in the second examination of the Kaiser Permanente Women Twins Study (Oakland, California, 1989-1990). Subjects included 556 white women (165 monozygous twin pairs, 113 dizygous pairs; 455 women with normal glucose tolerance, 75 with impaired glucose tolerance, and 26 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes by World Health Organization criteria). The intraclass correlation coefficients for log fasting insulin for monozygous and dizygous twin pairs were 0.64 and 0.40, respectively. After adjustment for age, behavioral factors, and body mass index, the estimated classic heritability was 0.53 (p = 0.003). Commingling analysis of fasting insulin indicated the presence of four distributions (p < 0.001), consistent with at least one, and perhaps two, genes influencing this trait. In an unmatched multiple regression model among women from monozygous twin pairs only, log fasting insulin was independently associated with body mass index (p < 0.0001), waist/hip ratio (p = 0.02), and glucose intolerance (p = 0.04), but not with triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, or hypertension. After removal of genetic influences by analysis of monozygous intrapair differences, only body mass index (p < 0.0001) remained independently related to fasting insulin. The authors conclude that, in addition to significant genetic influences on fasting insulin, environmental or behavioral factors (particularly nongenetic variation in obesity) are important determinants of fasting insulin and the insulin resistance syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Transcription of c-mos protooncogene in the pig involves both tissue-specific promoters and alternative polyadenylation sites.

The function of the c-mos gene has been intensively studied, but its role in the mammal is still a subject for debate. For this reason, and because the gene is regulated posttranscriptionally, further study of the gene from other mammalian species is timely. The pig c-mos gene has been cloned, and the genomic sequence is presented here. The gene has no introns and shows close similarity to human and monkey genes, with striking sequence similarities in both the 5' and 3' flanking regions. The significance of this similarity in the context of gene regulation is discussed. c-mos expression was found to be restricted to gonadal tissues in the pig. The major start sites for transcription initiation in ovary and testis were identified by primer extension and found to be distinct, as in the mouse. Within the ovary, expression is confined to oocytes. Messenger RNA is synthesized in growing oocytes, and remains stable during oocyte maturation, but begins to be degraded in electrically stimulated eggs. Unexpectedly, RNase protection assays revealed that the 3' ends of transcripts in the pig ovary are heterogeneous, and this, together with the identification of three distinct cDNA clones, shows that multiple polyadenylation sites are used. The significance of these transcripts in terms of translational control is discussed.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1996

Left pulmonary artery sling: diagnosis and delineation of associated tracheobronchial anomalies with MR.

BACKGROUND: The left pulmonary artery sling anomaly (SLPA) has generated controversy about its diagnosis, imaging and management particularly with regard to associated tracheobronchial anomalies. Objective. To evaluate the role of MR imaging in defining airway and vascular relationships in SLPA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of the imaging and clinical records of three children with SLPA who underwent MRI including three dimensional image reconstruction. MR was compared and correlated with other imaging methods: plain chest radiographs (3); bronchoscopy (3); barium esophagram (1); echocardiography (2); cineangiography (2). RESULTS: MRI was vastly superior to other methods for clearly depicting airway and vascular anatomy and interrelationships. Good quality imaging and safe sedation was easily achieved in young infants. MR also provided accurate noninvasive evaluation of the reconstructed pulmonary artery and airway postoperatively. CONCLUSION: MR is capable of differentiating the two subtypes of SLPA. Specific delineation of vascular and airway anatomy and spatial relationships is essential for surgical management: reimplantation of LPA in type I and both LPA reimplantation and airway reconstruction in type II because of associated long segment airway stenosis.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed1996

Interactive effects of depression symptoms, nicotine dependence, and weight change on late smoking relapse.

Signal detection methods were used to develop an algorithm useful in distinguishing those at risk for late relapse from those likely to maintain abstinence. Four subgroups with 24-month survival (nonrelapse) rates ranging from 79% to 33% were identified. Among participants whose depression symptoms decreased from baseline to the end of treatment, lower levels of nicotine dependence were associated with less relapse at the 24-month follow-up (odds ratio = 2.77; 95% confidence interval: 1.36-5.62). Among participants whose depression symptoms increased from baseline to the end of treatment, greater weight gain was associated with less relapse at follow-up (odds ratio = 2.90; 95% confidence interval: 1.41-5.96). This study suggested that it may become possible to use both baseline and treatment information to "titrate" interventions.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1996

Bronchial arteriovenous malformation in a child with hemoptysis. A case report.

Pulmonary arteriovenous (AV) malformations occur sporadically and in the pediatric population are most commonly associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Hemoptysis is an infrequent presentation in this age group. Pulmonary angiography is considered to be the definitive diagnostic modality. The authors describe an otherwise healthy eleven-year- old girl who presented with massive hemoptysis secondary to a large bronchial AV malformation unrelated to any congenital anomalies. The pulmonary angiogram appeared normal and the diagnosis was established by digital subtraction aortography. Successful embolotherapy was performed by selective injection of polyvinyl alcohol particles into the culprit bronchial artery.

Arteriovenous Malformations↗
PubMed1995

The Carolina Breast Cancer Study: integrating population-based epidemiology and molecular biology.

The integration of epidemiology and molecular biology provides a new strategy to identify additional risk factors for breast cancer and to better understand the role played by traditionally recognized risk factors. The Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS) is a population-based, case-control study designed to identify causes of breast cancer among Caucasian and African-American women who are residents of a 24-county area of central and eastern North Carolina. Information on established and potential breast cancer risk factors is obtained by personal interviews. Blood samples are collected from all consenting participants. Medical record documentation and paraffin-embedded tumor specimens are obtained for all breast cancer patients. DNA from tumor tissue is tested for a variety of molecular alterations characteristic of breast cancer. Germline DNA from blood lymphocytes is evaluated for presence of alleles increasing susceptibility to breast cancer. Statistical analyses evaluate gene-environment interaction by exploring the associations between environmental/behavioral factors and breast cancer in relation to specific molecular alterations (germline and tumor). Results will help identify high-risk women, clarify causal pathways, and hopefully contribute to the prevention of breast cancer.

Adult↗