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Biomedical subjects

D Black

Publications and source records attributed to D Black.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Changes in plasma lipoproteins and tissue lipoprotein lipase and salt-resistant lipase activities during spawning in the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii R.).

1. Lipoprotein lipase and salt-resistant lipase activities increased in the ovaries but decreased in the adipose tissue of female trout in the months leading up to spawning. 2. The activity of the plasma cholesterol esterifying enzyme increased significantly immediately prior to spawning. 3. Plasma lipoprotein concentrations decreased during the approach to spawning. 4. These studies suggest that the developing ovaries in the trout receive their nutrients by lipolysis of plasma lipoproteins as well as by vitellogenin uptake; differentiation of the roles of the lipid stores in different tissues is proposed.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1987

Predictors of cardiovascular events and mortality in the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program pilot project.

Do the established cardiovascular risk factors for younger persons remain important predictors of cardiovascular disease events and mortality in those who are older? The authors examined this question in the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program pilot project which prospectively followed 551 men and women 60 years of age and older with pretreatment systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mmHg who were enrolled between May 1981 and July 1982. Mean age was 72 years, 37% were men, 82% were white, and 24% had attended college. The vital status of all 551 participants was known at the end of follow-up, an average of 34 months after entry; there were 39 deaths from all causes, 66 first cardiovascular events, 18 strokes, and 20 episodes of myocardial infarction/sudden death. Univariate Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that age was a predictor (p less than 0.05) of all-cause mortality, first cardiovascular event, and stroke. Less than college education was a predictor of all-cause mortality and first cardiovascular event, smoking was a predictor of first cardiovascular event and myocardial infarction/sudden death, cholesterol was a predictor of first cardiovascular event, and lower body mass index was a predictor of increased all-cause mortality. After adjustment for covariables, age, lower education, lower body mass index, and baseline electrocardiographic abnormalities were significant predictors of all-cause mortality, and age, lower education, history of cardiovascular event, and smoking remained significant predictors of first cardiovascular event. Sex was not a risk factor, and the ability to examine hypertension as a risk factor was impaired by the fact that the entire cohort had systolic hypertension at baseline, and most were treated. These findings, combined with prior evidence, suggest that smoking, low education level, and perhaps serum cholesterol are risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the elderly. Although the excess risk conveyed by these factors is large, its reversibility needs to be demonstrated by intervention studies.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Family intervention with bereaved children.

This paper describes an intervention study carried out with 45 families (83 children) where one of the parents died, leaving a child or children under 16 years of age. The families were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, the treatment group being seen by a family therapist for approximately six sessions within 3-5 months of bereavement. All the families were contacted approximately 1 year after and again 2 years after the bereavement and a structured interview was carried out, covering parental health and psychiatric state, the children's health and behaviour, and the death and events surrounding it. At follow-up, there was some indication that the treatment group had benefited from the brief intervention. The implications for practice are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to cilia of human tracheal epithelial cells.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to adhere selectively to cilia of human ciliated tracheal epithelial cells (TECs). P. aeruginosa bound in equal numbers to TECs of smokers and nonsmokers, with the mean adhesion index for binding of P. aeruginosa 492c to TECs of healthy individuals (+/- standard deviation) being 6.83 +/- 6.00 bacteria per TEC.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Data quality in a distributed data processing system: the SHEP Pilot Study.

The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) Pilot was a collaborative clinical trial that distributed to the clinics all data processing tasks except for randomization assignment codes and morbidity and mortality data. The clinics used customized programs to enter and verify data interactively, to maintain their own local master files, and to transmit the data electronically to the Coordinating Center. We measured quality control based on criteria from centralized as well as distributed models: the error rate for baseline forms was 0.5 per 1000 items. Ninety-eight percent of the forms were query-free, and a central reentry of the data in a 5% sample yielded a miskey rate of 2 per 1000 items. The potential problems of distributed data processing are vulnerability of the local master files and the time demands on Coordinating Center programmers for maintaining clinic computer systems. The advantages are the active involvement of clinic staff in their own quality control, the functional accessibility of the clinics to the Coordinating Center in controlling protocol decisions and data monitoring, and the level of accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the data that can be achieved.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Recruitment of elderly volunteers for a multicenter clinical trial: the SHEP pilot study.

Few large trials have involved the elderly, and little is known about the feasibility of recruiting such participants for study and the validity of inferences drawn from them. This article reviews the recruitment experience of the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) pilot study. That program involved five clinical centers, and contacted approximately 75,000 persons in order to enroll a cohort of 551 individuals over 60 years old isolated systolic hypertension. The enrolled cohort was somewhat older and more highly educated than those screened. Except for deliberate oversampling of blacks and those over 70 years old, the enrolled population resembled the U.S. population, although individuals in the SHEP group were initially healthier, and more likely to have had some college education than those in the general population. There was substantial variation among sites in number of staff hours spent per participant recruited. The SHEP experience indicates that older persons are willing to volunteer for clinical trials research and that problems of inference are probably not any greater for that age group than for any other.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Techniques for assessing the activity of topically applied retinoids.

The retinoid drugs have profound effects on many aspects of skin biology. The exact activity profile depends on the particular analog and its route of administration. The topical retinoids used at present have marked therapeutic effects on epidermal cell production and desquamation. All-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) also acts on dermal connective tissue and microvasculature in a way that is less well established but may also be of therapeutic benefit. We investigated both tretinoin and motretinide in normal subjects and in patients with ichthyosis. The quantitative dansyl chloride test has been particularly useful in monitoring the desquamatory action of these topically applied retinoids. Both compounds resulted in enhanced rates of epidermopoiesis and desquamation. Marked changes in the cytochemical profile of the epidermis were also detected, changes that differed somewhat from the alterations induced by the systemic administration of etretinate. Changes in dermal structure and vascularization were monitored by A-scan ultrasound and laser Doppler flowmetry. However, only minor changes were recorded, probably because of the comparatively short application time. These newer techniques for investigating skin structure and function offer considerable opportunities for delineating the action of retinoids.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1986

Should perimenopausal women be screened for osteoporosis?

The increasing availability of noninvasive methods for measuring bone mass raises the issue of whether perimenopausal women should routinely have such measurements to identify those at risk for osteoporotic fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine. Although the mortality and morbidity caused by hip fractures would warrant routine screening, measurement of bone mass has uncertain value in assessing the risk for hip fracture. Wrist fractures generally cause only transient disability, and measurement of bone mass may not reliably predict risk. Measurements of bone density of the spine might be better able to assess a woman's risk for vertebral fractures, but the value of screening depends on whether the findings would affect a woman's decision about using estrogen therapy after menopause. Serial measurements of bone mass to estimate a woman's rate of bone loss are relatively imprecise, increase the cost of screening, and have at best a limited role in screening women to assess risk for osteoporotic fractures.

Aged↗