Biomedical subjects

B Rosner

Publications and source records attributed to B Rosner.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

PubMed1983

Effects of cigarette smoking on fasting triglyceride, total cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol in women.

We examined the relationships of cigarette smoking with fasting triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels among a group of 191 white women aged 20 to 40 years. The mean triglyceride level among current smokers was 100.0 mg/100 ml and among nonsmokers was 68.4 mg/dl (p less than 0.005). Mean total cholesterol values among current smokers and nonsmokers were, respectively, 197.0 and 189.1 mg/dl (p less than 0.1). Mean HDL-C levels were 45.0 mg/dl among women who were smoking and 52.1 mg/dl among nonsmokers (p less than 0.005). Simultaneous adjustments for the effects of age, weight, height, blood glucose, resting pulse, and oral contraceptive use did not materially alter these relationships. A modest portion of the effect of cigarette smoking on risk of coronary heart disease may be explained by an adverse effect of cigarette smoking on blood lipids.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Color plates to help identify patients with blue cone monochromatism.

A new color vision test distinguishes patients with X-chromosome-linked blue cone monochromatism from those with autosomal recessive rod monochromatism. The test consists of two instructional and four test plates. Each test plate has three identical blue-green arrows and one purple-blue arrow; test plates differ from one another only with respect to the chroma of the purple-blue arrow. All five patients with blue cone monochromatism, aged 5 to 31 years, easily distinguished the purple-blue arrow on all four test plates, whereas none of the seven patients with rod monochromatism, aged 6 to 60 years, could distinguish the purple-blue arrow on all four plates. If a boy has a reduced visual acuity, normal rod electroretinograms, and 30-Hz cone electroretinograms reduced more than 97% below normal, this test can be used to determine whether his condition is an X-chromosome-linked one or an autosomal recessive one.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Excess mortality and morbidity associated with right bundle branch and left anterior fascicular block.

Excess mortality and morbidity associated with right bundle branch and left anterior fascicular block were evaluated in 108 patients with block (age 74 +/- 10 years, 69% male) and 108 age- and sex-matched control patients with normal conduction. Clinical characteristics were similar initially except for more congestive heart failure in patients with block. Life table analysis revealed a higher 12 year mortality with block, even after omitting patients with moderate or severe congestive heart failure (risk ratio 1.47, p less than 0.05). Compared with control subjects, the group of patients with block had more sudden death and deaths of unknown cause, but a similar number of noncardiac and diagnosed cardiac deaths. More patients with block developed new second and third degree atrioventricular block or new overt coronary artery disease, but this finding did not support prophylactic pacing in asymptomatic patients. The importance of internal controls in assessing the natural history of clinical and electrocardiographic abnormalities is emphasized.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Validation of a dietary questionnaire with plasma carotenoid and alpha-tocopherol levels.

We assessed the validity of a self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire by comparing carotene and vitamin E intake scores derived from form with plasma carotenoid and alpha-tocopherol levels among a group of 59 men and women. The simple correlation between carotene intake and plasma carotenoid was 0.29 (p = 0.02) and the partial correlation was 0.35 (p = 0.005) after adjustment for age, sex, total caloric intake, and plasma cholesterol and triglycerides. The simple correlation between vitamin E intake and plasma alpha-tocopherol was 0.12 (p = 0.19). However, adjustment for total caloric intake and plasma lipids each substantially increased this association so that the partial correlation adjusting simultaneously for caloric intake, plasma lipids, age, and sex was 0.34 (p = 0.006). As expected on the basis of previous randomized trials, the correlation between preformed vitamin A intake and plasma retinol was weak and not statistically significant. These data support the utility of self-administered food frequency questionnaires for use in epidemiological studies. In addition, they illustrate the importance of adjusting blood alpha-tocopherol levels for lipid concentrations when the former are used as surrogates for vitamin E intake.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Predictive values of routine blood pressure measurements in screening for hypertension.

There presently is no consensus regarding criteria for hypertension screening or case finding. Blood pressure variability results in differential ascertainment, depending upon the number of screening visits, the number of measurements per visit, and the method used in reducing the data obtained to an underlying measure of blood pressure status. To develop screening rules, the authors have computed the predictive values of blood pressure measurements for particular age-, race-, and sex-specific groups. Predictive value computations require estimates of between- and within-visit variability and of prevalence. Estimates of variability were calculated from data obtained at a worksite or a community blood pressure program from 991 persons, aged 30-69 years and not currently on antihypertensive medications, who were screened over two to five visits, one week apart. Estimates of prevalence were obtained from the screening of 158,955 adults by the Hypertension Detection and Follow-Up Program. Predictive values are presented for particular age-, race-, and sex-specific groups over a wide range of diastolic blood pressures, and are used to identify appropriate screening rules that minimize misclassification with the fewest possible blood pressure measurements. The results of a questionnaire sent to 30 hypertension experts indicated that the median acceptable predictive values for making screening decisions were 80% for predictive value positive and 77.5% for predictive value negative. When these criteria were adopted, 81%, 90%, and 93% of the subgroup of 901 persons with at least three visits from the above screened population were identified as having or not having true diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mmHg after one, two, and three visits, respectively. The status of the remaining 7% remained uncertain after three visits.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Cigarette smoking, relative weight, and menopause.

To examine the interrelationships of cigarette smoking, relative weight, and the occurrence of natural menopause, the authors prospectively evaluated the experience of 66,663 female US registered nurses who were premenopausal in 1976. Over a two-year period, 5004 women became post-menopausal. Current smokers were more likely than past or never smokers to develop menopause, although the effects of smoking diminished with age. The rate ratios of menopause for current smokers vs. never smokers (with 95% confidence limits) for women aged 30-39, 40-44, 45-49, and 50-55 years were 1.90 (1.10-3.28), 2.16 (1.73-2.69), 1.53 (1.41-1.67), and 1.20 (1.12-1.28). These rate ratios were not appreciably affected by adjustment for relative weight. Median ages at menopause were 52.4 for never smokers and 51.9, 51.0, 50.7, and 50.4 years for women who currently smoked 1-14, 15-24, 25-34, and 35 or more cigarettes per day. A crude linear relationship between relative weight and occurrence of menopause was observed. Comparing the leanest and heaviest quintiles, rate ratios for menopause among women aged 30-39, 40-44, 45-49, and 50-55 years were 1.42 (0.74-2.75), 1.26 (0.95-1.69), 1.25 (1.13-1.41) and 1.08 (0.99-1.19). The effect of relative weight was in part explained by the tendency of current smokers to weigh less than nonsmokers. After adjustment for current cigarette consumption a weak linear relationship between relative weight and menopause remained among women who smoked, although no such association was seen among nonsmokers.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

The relationship of the U wave to the 10-year incidence of myocardial infarction.

The relationship between the baseline electrocardiogram and 10-year incidence of myocardial infarction was examined in a cohort of 1013 men. The men were participants in the Normative Aging Study, a longitudinal study of aging initiated in 1963 at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts. Absence of the U wave among these men yielded a relative risk estimate of myocardial infarction of 2.7 as compared to men with a U wave present (95% confidence interval, 1.4-5.2). This association persisted when standard coronary risk factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, and cigarette smoking) were taken into consideration in a multivariate analysis. The results support the conclusion that an abnormality in the electrocardiogram considered to be of little importance indicates an increased risk of myocardial infarction independent of known coronary risk factors.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Data compression techniques for CT image archiving.

Large digital files are inherent to computed tomography (CT) image data. The CT installations that routinely archive patient data are penalized computer time, technologist's time, tape, purchase, and file space. This paper introduces compression techniques that reduce the amount of tape needed to store image data and the amount of computer time to do so. The benefits delivered by this technique have also been applied to CT disk systems in which limited on-line memory requires compact file storage. Typical reductions of 40 to 50% of original file space are reported.

Computers↗

PubMed1983

Neuroimmaturity of learning-disabled children: a controlled study.

A 46-component neurological exam was administered to 119 learning-disabled children and to 152 control children, and a Neuroimmaturity Index (NI) was constructed. The results were compared by age and sex. Neuroimmaturity decreased significantly with age, and after controlling for age and sex there were statistically significant differences in NI between the learning-disabled and control children. Male children from both groups, controlling for age, tended to have a higher NI than females. Patterns of disability were related to communication skills; older learning-disabled males had difficulty writing and spelling, whereas younger female learning-disabled children had difficulty with spoken language.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Alcohol consumption and pulmonary function. A cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

The impact of alcohol consumption on pulmonary function was examined in 1,067 men. Subjects were classified according to their average weekly alcohol consumption, and spirometry was performed twice on all subjects over a 5-year interval. A multiple regression analysis indicated that alcohol consumption did not significantly influence baseline levels of forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after controlling for age, height, cigarette smoking habits, and educational attainment. Similarly, alcohol consumption did not significantly influence follow-up levels of FVC or FEV1 after controlling for age, height, cigarette smoking habits, educational attainment, and baseline pulmonary function. Although these results do not rule out a possible independent effect of alcohol on pulmonary function, any such effect would be relatively small.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in stroke-age normal controls.

We used the noninvasive 133-xenon inhalation technique to determine cerebral hemodynamics in 55 normal volunteers aged 18 to 88. Values for cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in fast-clearing tissue (flow gray) and slow-clearing tissue (flow white) were examined as functions of age and in relation to hematocrit, blood pressure, and evidence of extracranial vascular disease. Flow gray declined linearly with age, but no corresponding change was found in flow white or in CO2 reactivity. The data suggest that the progressive fall in flow gray is due to a physiologic aging process.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Smoking cessation in a prospective study of healthy adult males: effects of age, time period, and amount smoked.

The present study examined effects on smoking cessation of three variables-chronological age, time period, and amount smoked-in 637 healthy male smokers aged 22-69 at baseline. Subjects were followed from 1962-1975 using life table procedures. Age was not significantly related to quitting rates (p = .150). The amount smoked effect approached significance (p = .096) with rates of quitting progressively lower at higher consumption levels. Powerful time-period effects were found (p = .008). Incidence rates of quitting increased from 1962-1970, after which a marked decline occurred. (Am J Public Health 1983; 73:446-450.)

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Basal motor activity of the distal colon: a reappraisal.

The significance of recent motor data on the distal colon in irritable bowel syndrome is obscured by methodological questions such as bowel preparation, variability and reproducibility of motor activity and segmental differences. Thirty subjects were studied after prior bowel cleansing with a water enema on two separate occasions 1 wk apart (10 with one bowel movement per day, 10 with two to three per week, and 10 with three to 12 per day). Two additional studies were performed in 10 of the subjects, one with and one without prior cleansing. The motility indices of the cleansed and unwashed colon were dissimilar. The motility index per 3 min varied markedly over 3 h, and the indices between the paired studies were rarely identical. Marked segmental differences were noted. The mean motility index per 3 min of the constipated and the diarrhea groups was significantly greater than that of normals only in the 15-cm segment. In view of these variables, caution should be exercised in the interpretation of basal motor activity of the distal colon.

Colon↗

PubMed1982

Mortality associated with nosocomial urinary-tract infection.

In a prospective study, 131 of 1458 patients acquired 136 urinary-tract infections (defined as greater than 10(5) colony-forming units per milliliter) during 1474 indwelling bladder catheterizations. Seventy-six patients (25 infected and 51 noninfected) died during hospitalization; death rates were 19 per cent in infected patients and 4 per cent in noninfected patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that seven of 21 prospectively monitored variables were associated with mortality among the catheterized patients. The adjusted odds ratio for mortality between those who acquired infection and those who did not was 2.8 (95 per cent confidence limits, 1.5 to 5.1). The acquisition of infection as not associated with the severity of underlying disease; among patients who died, infections occurred in 38 per cent of those classified as having nonfatal underlying disease (15 of 39) and in 27 per cent of those classified as having fatal disease (10 of 37). Twelve deaths may have been caused by acquired urinary-tract infections. Two patients had urinary-tract pathogens in premortem blood cultures. Another 10 died with clinical pictures compatible with serious infection, but no diagnostic cultures were performed. We conclude that the acquisition of urinary-tract infection during indwelling bladder catheterization is associated with nearly a threefold increase in mortality among hospitalized patients, but the reason for this association is not yet clear.

Catheters, Indwelling↗

PubMed1982

Delay in conception for former 'pill' users.

Interview data from 3,214 married women having planned pregnancies and singleton deliveries who had no history of fertility treatment and who conceived more than two weeks after cessation of contraception were analyzed. The interval from cessation of contraception to conception was 13 months or greater for 24.8% of prior "pill" users vs 10.6% for former users of all other methods. As compared with former users of other methods, pill users had a notably lower monthly percentage of conceptions for the first three months and somewhat lower percentage from four to ten months. Results were not altered when potential confounding variables were controlled by logistic regression. At least 15 months of unsuccessful trials might be a more appropriate working definition of infertility for previous pill users rather than the 12-month interval generally accepted for this purpose.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

No association between coffee consumption and adverse outcomes of pregnancy.

We analyzed interview and medical-record data of 12,205 non-diabetic, non-asthmatic women to evaluate the relation between coffee consumption and adverse outcomes of pregnancy. Low birth weight and short gestation occurred more often among offspring of women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day and more often among the offspring of smokers. After controlling for smoking, other habits, demographic characteristics, and medical history by standardization and logistic regression, we found no relation between low birth weight or short gestation and heavy coffee consumption. Furthermore, there was no excess of malformations among coffee drinkers. These negative results suggest that coffee consumption has a minimal effect, if any, on the outcome of pregnancy.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Bacteriuria and subsequent mortality in women.

The relation of bacteriuria to subsequent mortality was investigated in population-based cohort data from women living in Jamaica and Wales. Three surveys were done in each location over a 13-year period. Women with 10(5) or more gram-negative bacilli per millilitre of urine in three consecutive cultures over a 3-week span were considered bacteriuric for that survey. Mortality was determined at the second and third surveys. Bacteriuria was associated with increased mortality both in the crude data and in life-table analyses adjusted for the confounding effects of age and weight. The adjusted risk ratio for death between the first and third surveys was 1.5 for women bacteriuric at the first survey compared with non-bacteriuric women. For deaths between the second and third surveys, the adjusted risk ratio was highest (2.0) in women who were bacteriuric at both of the first two surveys. The adjusted risk ratio for death between the second and third surveys for women who were bacteriuric at one of the first two surveys but not at the other was 1.6.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Familial aggregation of blood pressure in a highly inbred community, Abu Ghosh, Israel.

Abu Ghosh is a highly inbred community of more than 2000 Israeli Arabs in which all members are descendants of two brothers and in which individual blood pressures, rates of hypertension, and corresponding morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease are inordinately high. Accordingly, patterns of familial aggregation of blood pressure were investigated to determine if the population structure of this community might affect familial aggregation. In a study of children aged 2-14 years, significant familial aggregation of blood pressure was found in 797 children in 220 families. Intraclass correlation coefficients for systolic, Korotkoff IV and Korotkoff V diastolic blood pressures were 0.20, 0.21, and 0.26, respectively (all p less than 0.001). When correlated for Quetelet's index, the correlation coefficients were 0.21, 0.19, and 0.23, respectively (all p less than 0.001). Father-child correlation coefficients were 0.15, 0.18 and 0.12 with p-values of p = 0.003, p less than 0.001 and p = 0.024, respectively. Mother-child correlations were not significant. Adjustment for Quetelet's index increased the father-child correlations (p less than 0.001), but the mother-child correlations remained not significant. Although father-son correlations tended to be stronger than father-daughter correlations, and mother-daughter correlations tended to be stronger than mother-son correlations, these were trends and not statistically significant. Although the Abu Ghosh community is an extended family of common, known ancestry, the sib-sib aggregations were not different from those found in random families, but the father-child aggregations were unique and warrant further study.

Adolescent↗