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Biomedical subjects

Carolyn B Yucha

Publications and source records attributed to Carolyn B Yucha.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors: intervention recommendations to decrease adolescent obesity.

The incidence of adolescent obesity is increasing dramatically in the United States with associated risks of hypertension, adverse lipid profiles, and Type II diabetes. Unless reversed, this trend predicts an epidemic of adult cardiovascular disease. Interventions at home, at school, and in the community are required to empower teens to increase physical activity and to modify eating habits. This article describes assessment for obesity-related health problems as well as scientific guidelines and research-based intervention strategies to decrease obesity in adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Physiological wet laboratory facilities in colleges of nursing.

The purpose of this study was to describe physiological wet laboratories as they exist within colleges of nursing with doctoral programs. Surveys were sent to the current deans and directors of all 96 nursing colleges/schools with doctoral programs as of January 2004, obtained from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Web site. Only 26 (37%) of 71 responding schools operate their own wet laboratory, either singly or with another college. The most common analyses done are hormone levels, immune proteins, and cell counts, followed by catecholamines, chemistries, and bacterial cultures. Approximate annual costs of running wet laboratories range from 1,500 dollars to 320,000 dollars per school. Schools based in an academic health center were more likely to operate a wet laboratory ( chi2 = .003). There were no differences based on source of university funding (public vs. private) or Carnegie classification.

Biology↗
PubMed2003

Effects of daily activities on ambulatory blood pressure during menstrual cycle in normotensive women.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether (1) there is a menstrual phase effect on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), and (2) the effects of physical effort, posture, or moods on BP and HR is mediated by the menstrual phase. Twelve normotensive women, aged between 28 and 50, with normal menstrual cycles were studied. BP was measured at 30- to 60-min intervals during a 24-hr period using an ambulatory BP monitor on Days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of the menstrual cycle. Participants were asked to report their posture, physical effort, and mood ("annoyed," "tense," and "happy") on 5-point Likert-type scales each time the ambulatory BP monitor took measurements. Systolic BP (SBP) was lower on Day 8 of the cycle. Diastolic BP (DBP) and HR were lower on Days 1 and 8. Daytime SBP was affected by the time of the day and posture, but not by moods, whereas daytime DBP was affected by posture and levels of tenseness. The level of physical effort only affected HR, not BP. The average daytime physical and emotional variables had little influence over the average daytime BP. In 12 normotensive women with a normal menstrual cycle, SBP was lower during the follicular phase and DBP and HR were lower during the follicular phase and menstruation even after controlling the effects of other factors. Physical activity or moods had only momentary effects on BP or HR. A cross-validation statistical method used is suggested to study how individuals are affected by various factors. With the use of this method, the inclusion of menstrual phase in the model improved the prediction of SBP for 5 out of the 12 women studied.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Physiologic correlates of comfort in healthy children.

Pain assessment is particularly challenging when children are unable or unwilling to provide a self-report. Although clinicians frequently use vital signs as an adjunct to pain assessment, little evidence exists to support this practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of selected physiologic variables (peripheral skin temperature, heart rate, skin conductance activity [SCA], respiratory rate, electromyogram [EMG] of the frontalis and right forearm muscles, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure [BP]) to detect changes in children's autonomic arousal from baseline. A one-group, repeated measures, randomized crossover design guided the study. Chosen from a convenience sample, 100 healthy children (ages 8-17 years) served as their own controls while undergoing two levels of intervention: cold pressor pain and guided imagery. Although most physiologic responses showed changes in the expected direction, EMG, SCA, and heart rate decreased slightly during cold pressor. Few significant intercorrelations were demonstrated among the physiologic variables. SCA, forehead EMG, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic BP detected significant changes in arousal across measures. Notably, heart rate failed to detect changes for any of the measures. Results emphasize the need for caution in interpreting heart rate as an index of comfort. Further research is needed to examine the effects of clinical pain on physiologic indices and to further examine age and sex influences. To be relevant for assessment of acute established pain, physiologic variables must also be tested for their sensitivity beyond the immediate period of autonomic arousal.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Problems inherent in assessing biofeedback efficacy studies.

This paper discusses some of the problems involved in drawing conclusions across studies about the efficacy of biofeedback. It focuses on biofeedback for the treatment of hypertension, but the same difficulties arise when considering the effect of biofeedback in other disorders. Large multicenter studies using the same inclusion and exclusion criteria, biofeedback protocol, and methodology are badly needed if biofeedback practitioners are ever going to demonstrate the real effectiveness of biofeedback.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Research support by doctoral-granting colleges/schools of nursing.

Colleges and schools of nursing with doctoral programs focus on developing quality research programs. One effective way of managing and nurturing a research program is through the implementation of a nursing research office or center. The purpose of this study is to describe the resources provided by the colleges/schools of nursing with doctoral programs for research development. A self-report questionnaire, developed by the research team, was mailed to all schools of nursing offering doctoral programs. The response rate was 79 per cent (65/82 schools). Results indicated that 56 schools (86.2 per cent) have designated research support offices. The main goals of nursing research offices are to increase the amount of extramural funding and to promote dissemination of scholarly work via publications and presentations. The majority of research offices provide assistance with grants and the research process and offer educational programs. Most doctoral-granting schools are providing some support for research activities. However, the degree of investment in research support varied widely among the responding schools. This study suggests that it takes both time and institutional commitment to build a successful research environment. Although necessary for research development, support services are not sufficient by themselves. Instead, they need to be considered in the light of individual (e.g., faculty interest and motivation) and group (e.g., culture of scholarship) factors within each school.

Education, Nursing, Graduate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biofeedback-assisted relaxation training for essential hypertension: who is most likely to benefit?

The main purpose of this study was to develop a way to predict which persons with essential hypertension would benefit most from biofeedback-assisted relaxation (BFAR) training. Second, the authors evaluated the effect of BFAR on blood pressure (BP) reduction, which was measured in the clinic and outside the clinic using an ambulatory BP monitor. Fifty-four adults with stage 1 or 2 hypertension (78% taking BP medications) received 8 weeks of relaxation training coupled with thermal, electromyographic, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia biofeedback. Blood pressure was measured in the clinic and over 24 hours using an ambulatory BP monitor pretraining and posttraining. Systolic BP dropped from 135.0 +/- 9.8 mmHg pretraining to 132.2 +/- 10.5 mmHg posttraining (F = 6.139, P = .017). Diastolic BP dropped from 80.4 +/- 8.1 mmHg pretraining to 78.5 +/- 10.0 mmHg posttraining (F = 4.441, P = .041). Data from 37 participants with baseline BP of 130/85 mmHg or greater were used to develop a prediction model. Regression showed that those who were able to lower their SBP 5 mm Hg or more were (1) not taking antihypertensive medication, (2) had lowest starting finger temperature, (3) had the smallest standard deviation in daytime mean arterial pressure, and (4) the lowest score on the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control-internal scale. Since these types of persons are most likely to benefit from BFAR, they should be offered BFAR prior to starting hypertensive medications.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hemodynamics and arterial properties in response to mental stress in individuals with mild hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: The role of tonic sympathetic stimulation on the properties of large arteries is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mental stress on hemodynamics and arterial properties in mild hypertensives. METHOD: Twenty-three subjects with mild hypertension and 19 age-matched normotensives were compared to examine changes in hemodynamics and central arterial wave reflection before, during, and after mental stress. RESULTS: The results demonstrate an acute effect of mental stress on blood pressure, heart rate, and arterial compliance. The static component (MBP) and the pulsatile (PP) component of arterial pressure increased significantly during mental stress and returned to baseline within a few minutes. Mild hypertensives did not have an increased response to mental stress. For both groups, an increase in HR and a consequent rise in CO were responsible for the increase in BP in response to mental stress. Compared with baseline, both groups demonstrated a decrease in arterial compliance during stress. Mental stress did not induce a significant change in total peripheral vascular resistance nor did it affect central arterial wave reflection in both groups. Individuals with mild hypertension demonstrated higher PP (p <.001), lower arterial compliance (p <.01), and higher AI (p <.05) than those with normal BP. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic and arterial responses to mental stress in individuals with normal BP and mild hypertension were similar. Several parameters, however, were different in basal state. These differences (ie, higher PP, lower compliance, and higher AI in the mild hypertensive group) could be due to the chronic effect of sympathetic stimulation on central arteries.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of blood pressure measurement consistency using tonometric and automated oscillometric instruments.

To effectively evaluate treatments for hypertension, researchers and clinicians must be able to measure blood pressure (BP) in a valid and reliable way. The purpose of this study is to compare measurements made in the clinic using beat-to-beat radial BP tonometry, measurements made during 24 hours using an ambulatory BP monitor, and measurements made in the clinic using an automated oscillometric BP monitor. Fifty-seven adults with primary hypertension participated in this study, which used a repeated measures descriptive design. Clinic and ABPM daytime averages were compatible for both SBP and DBP. In contrast, clinic SBP was 7.56 mmHg higher than the beat-to-beat SBP; clinic DBP was 9.83 mmHg higher than the beat-to-beat DBP. These data suggest that automated clinic measurements may be used in place of daytime ambulatory BP measurements. We also estimate sample sizes for future studies based on characteristics of clinic BP.

Adult↗