Biomedical subjects

D D Baird

Publications and source records attributed to D D Baird.

77 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Variability of lipid hydroperoxides in pregnant and nonpregnant women.

Lipid peroxidation is thought to be important in numerous disease states, including pregnancy complications. Study of its role requires markers, but the variability of available markers in non-diseased populations has not been well-characterized. We examined the variability over time of blood lipid hydroperoxides, as measured by iodometric analysis, in 49 healthy young women, 21 nonpregnant and 28 pregnant. Lipid hydroperoxides from the same woman were very similar from one day to the next but were less stable over periods of a month or more. The correlation between measurements on consecutive days was 0.98; the correlation between measurements a month or more apart was 0.11. Variability over time was not attributable to seasonal effects or, among the pregnant women, to differences over the course of pregnancy. Knowledge of the variability of this and other markers of oxidative damage enables the development of appropriate study designs.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Exposure to oxidized nitrogen: lipid peroxidation and neonatal health risk.

Pregnant women exposed to extensive environmental contamination by oxidized nitrogen compounds were studied at parturition, their neonatal health status was assessed and the involvement of oxidative stress in pathology was evaluated. Methemoglobin in maternal and cord blood was measured as a biomarker of individual exposure. Blood lipid peroxides and glutathione (reduced and total) were determined as oxidative stress biomarkers. Birthweight, Apgar scores, and clinical diagnosis at birth were used as neonatal health endpoints. Elevated exposure to oxidized nitrogen compounds was associated with increased lipid peroxidation in both maternal and cord blood. Poor birth outcome was associated with high blood lipid peroxides. Controlling for maternal age, parity, and smoking did not affect the relationships materially. The results showed that maternal/fetal exposure to oxidized nitrogen compounds is associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcome and suggest a role of oxidative damage in the pathogenic pathway.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development and reliability of a Telephone-Administered Perceived Racism Scale (TPRS): a tool for epidemiological use.

The conceptualization of perceived racism as a chronic stressor is relatively new to epidemiology. The Telephone-Administered Perceived Racism Scale (TPRS) captures the complexity of racism within five scales: Experience of Racism (by Blacks as a group and by the respondent), Emotional Responses, Behavioral Responses, Concern for Child(ren), and Past Experiences of Racism. The TPRS was developed for employed Black women. Exploratory factor analyses and tests of internal consistency were completed with 476 Black women, aged 36-53. Factor analyses on their responses to racism yielded five factors: passive emotions, active emotions, passive behaviors, internal active behaviors, and external active behaviors. Alpha reliability values ranged from 0.75 to 0.80 for the active and passive emotions subscales, from 0.59 to 0.69 for the passive behaviors subscale, and greater than 0.76 for both active behaviors subscales. Alpha reliabilities were 0.82, 0.90, 0.88, and 0.82 for Past Experiences, Concern for Child(ren), Experience of Racism--Personal, and Experience of Racism--Group, respectively. Another 30 Black women were queried for test-retest reliability, with values ranging from 0.61 to 0.82. The TPRS was found to be reliable and should serve as a useful epidemiological tool in the examination of the effects of perceived racism on Black women's health.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of occupational exposures on the fertility of couples.

The biology of couple fertility is discussed, studies of the relationship of couple fertility to occupational exposures are reviewed, and three methods of measuring couple fertility--their advantages and disadvantages--are described.

Biology↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cigarette smoking associated with delayed conception.

We conducted an epidemiologic study to test the hypothesis that women who smoke have reduced fertility. Data on smoking history and number of noncontracepting cycles until conception were collected from 678 pregnant women. Thirty-eight percent of nonsmokers conceived in their first cycle compared with 28% of smokers. Smokers were 3.4 times more likely to have taken greater than a year to conceive compared with nonsmokers. After adjusting for potential confounding variables by Cox proportional hazards regression, fertility of smokers was estimated to be 72% of the fertility of nonsmokers. Heavy smokers experienced lower fertility than did light smokers (57% and 75% of the pregnancy rate of nonsmokers, respectively). Fertility was not affected by the husband's smoking. These data provide evidence that reduced fertility should be added to the growing list of reproductive hazards of cigarette smoking.

Adolescent↗