Biomedical subjects

Janet Guthrie

Publications and source records attributed to Janet Guthrie.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The relationship between prospectively assessed body weight and physical activity and prevalence of radiological knee osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of weight and physical activity on the prevalence of radiological knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a cohort of middle-aged women. METHODS: The longitudinal phase of the Melbourne Women's Mid-life Health Project is a population-based prospective study of 438 Australian-born women who have been followed annually over 11 years. Of these women, 257 (59%) remained in longitudinal assessment at eleventh year of followup, and 224 of these women agreed to undergo radiographs of their knees. Radiographs were scored for features of OA [osteophytes and joint space narrowing (JSN)] using a validated scale, by 2 investigators who were blinded to questionnaire results. Data were obtained by both self-administered and face-to-face interview questionnaires. RESULTS: The average weight increase over the study period of 11 years was 4 kg (range -14 to 25 kg). Of the 224 women evaluated, 65 (29%) had knee joint osteophytes and 95 (42%) had evidence of knee JSN. Current weight and weight at baseline were independent factors associated with a higher prevalence of both osteophytes and JSN in all compartments of the knee. The average amount of physical activity over the 11 years of followup was a significant factor independently associated with an increased prevalence of patellofemoral JSN and approached significance for tibiofemoral osteophytes and total knee JSN. CONCLUSION: Our study supports a longterm detrimental effect of weight on the knee joint and suggests the importance of longterm weight maintenance programs in preventing knee OA. The average amount of physical activity was associated with an increased prevalence of some features of knee OA.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

Sexuality.

This article reviews changes in sexual function in middle-aged women and discusses how these changes relate to aging, hormone alterations, and psychosocial and physical factors. A Medline search of population-based studies that measured sexual function, menopausal status and/or hormone levels was conducted. Longitudinal findings are from the Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project, a population-based sample of 438 Australian-born white women, aged 45 to 55 years, who were menstruating at baseline. Annual assessments included hormone levels and the Short Personal Experiences Questionnaire. Few of the population-based studies of the menopausal transition measured sexual function or hormones. Aging and the length of the woman's relationship with her partner are associated with decline in sexual function. An additional decrement in sexual function occurs in midlife associated with menopause. Findings from the Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project using structural equation modeling, found the most important factors influencing a woman's sexual function are prior level of sexual function; losing or gaining a sexual partner; feelings toward a partner; and estradiol level. When psychosocial and lifestyle status were added to the model, mood was the only additional variable affecting sexual function. There is a decline in all aspects of female sexual function with age. A further incremental decline in most aspects of sexual function occurs as women pass through the menopausal transition and is related to decreasing estradiol levels. Other factors such as prior sexual function and partner issues have larger effects on women's sexual function than do hormonal factors.

Aging↗

PubMed2002

Partnership for Parkinson's disease research: patient-researcher-clinician-sponsor.

Parkinson's disease (PD) appears to arise from the interaction of three events-an individual's inherited genetic susceptibility, their subsequent environmental exposures, and their age. We clearly need to intensify efforts to understand the environmental triggers of PD, the importance of the timing of exposure to these triggers, and the interplay between these exposures and a persons underlying genetic constitution and susceptibilities. This knowledge, once generated, will lead to better detection of the earliest stages of PD, to improved therapeutics, and most importantly, to viable prevention strategies so that people need not suffer from environmentally-caused PD. Many promising lines of investigation are already supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Aging (NIA) and other public and private organizations. In order to accelerate the pace of progress in this field, the NIEHS is developing a Consortium Centers Program that will provide a formal mechanism for "cross-talk" between PD clinicians, basic research scientists, and patient advocates. The Consortium will seek to identify and support novel approaches and research ventures that might not otherwise be pursued by scientists working in isolation. The NIEHS will also continue to explore ways to promote more mechanism-based research to understand putative environmental triggers for PD in concert with defined genetic susceptibilities.

Humans↗