Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L Gannon

Publications and source records attributed to L Gannon.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Differences in bone density, body composition, physical activity, and diet between child gymnasts and untrained children 7-8 years of age.

Strategies that enhance the acquisition of bone mass may be protective against osteoporosis. BMD was compared in 20 artistic gymnasts (10 boys; 10 girls) and 20 untrained children ages 7-8 years. Higher regional values of BMD were observed in female gymnasts than untrained girls. If retained to adulthood, this higher BMD may protect skeletal integrity in later life. Strategies that enhance the acquisition of bone mass in children may assist with the prevention of osteoporosis. This study explored the effects of regular high-impact and weight-bearing activity before the age of 7 years on total and regional bone mineral density (BMD). Twenty artistic gymnasts (10 boys and 10 girls) and 20 untrained children, 7-8 years of age, were recruited. The untrained children were matched to gymnasts by sex, height, weight, and age. Female gymnasts trained 8-10 h per week and had trained regularly for 3-4 years. Male gymnasts trained 4-6 h per week and had trained for 1-2 years. Measurements of bone mineral density were made using DXA for total body BMD (TBBMD); lumbar spine, both areal (aSBMD) and volumetric (vSBMD); total spine; pelvis; arms; and legs. Significant mean differences (8-10%) in aSBMD, vSBMD, arm BMD, and TBBMD were observed between female gymnasts and untrained girls (p < 0.05: aSBMD, vSBMD, and TBBMD body mass (BM); p < 0.01: arm BMD). A nonsignificant trend toward a higher TBBMD/BM and arm BMD was observed in male gymnasts compared with untrained boys. Trends toward a higher BMD within the pelvis, legs, and total spine were also observed in gymnasts. There were no differences in total and regional BMD between untrained boys and untrained girls. The results suggest that gymnastics training before the age of 7 years enhances the acquisition of bone mass at selected skeletal sites. The magnitude of this enhancement seems to be linked to the cumulative volume of such training. If retained during adolescence and young adulthood, a surfeit of bone acquired through high-impact and weight-bearing activity in early childhood may protect skeletal integrity in later life.

Body Composition↗
PubMed2000

Beta1 integrin expression during normal and low score normal avian myogenesis.

Skeletal muscle development is, in part, regulated by myoblast-extracellular matrix interactions mediated by the transmembrane integrin family of heterodimeric receptors. The avian genetic muscle weakness, low score normal (LSN), exhibits modified myotube and sarcomere structure that may be associated with altered integrin expression. Protein expression of the beta1 integrin subunit was measured during normal and LSN Pectoralis major muscle development at 14, 16, and 18 d of embryonic development, and 1 d and 1 and 6 wk posthatch. During embryonic development, integrin expression was downregulated. However, by 1 wk posthatch, integrin levels were upregulated and remained elevated through 6 wk posthatch. This pattern was observed in both normal and LSN muscle development. Overall, beta1 integrin levels were lower in the LSN P. major muscle. In normal and LSN satellite cell cultures, beta1 integrin expression was low during proliferation. In early differentiation, beta1 integrin expression increased and was then downregulated. As observed in the muscle extracts, LSN beta1 integrin expression was significantly lower during differentiation. These results suggest that the regulation of beta1 integrin expression is critical to the progression of myogenesis, and, during LSN myogenesis, decreased expression of beta1 integrin may be associated with modifications in muscle structure.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Critical care bug team: a multidisciplinary team approach to reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates in the medical-surgical intensive care unit first exceeded the 90th percentile in September 1997 and were significantly (P <.05) higher than National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System pooled mean data. In January 1998, a multidisciplinary "Critical Care Bug Team" was developed by the Infection Control Committee to review 1997 National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System data for four adult intensive care units in a 583-bed tertiary care hospital. METHODS: Membership included clinical nurse specialists, a dietitian, a pharmacist, a respiratory therapist, an infection control professional, a research specialist, and a physician adviser. Having the team report directly to the hospital's Infection Control and Adult Critical Care Committees maximized support for recommendations and provided a direct link from patient care to hospital administration. By identifying issues, evaluating patient care processes, performing literature searches, and monitoring compliance, the team implemented numerous interventions, including policy and procedure changes, purchasing of equipment, and implementation of various education tools. RESULTS: Each member of the Critical Care Bug Team contributed to a synergized effort that may have produced the desired outcome of decreasing ventilator-associated pneumonia rates. Except for August 1998, ventilator-associated pneumonia rates have been below the 75th percentile since May 1998. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team approach devised to reduce and stabilize ventilator-associated pneumonia rates in a medical-surgical intensive care unit.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Psychopathy and depression: mutually exclusive constructs?

The present study was designed to evaluate the nature of the differences between psychopathy and depression. Based on previously articulated theoretical models, we hypothesized an inverse relationship between the two clinical constructs. Archival data were retrieved from 231 outpatient clients who had completed measures of depression and psychopathy. Correlational analyses and ANOVA's based on extreme groups supported the hypothesis. Implications for assessment, treatment, and research methodology are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Portraits of menopause in the mass media.

This examination of menopause as presented by the popular print media was conducted in the context of furthering our understanding of the development of attitudes toward menopause. All articles indexed under "menopause" in the Reader's Guide in the years 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1994 were located and examined. The data revealed that, although there has been an increase in the frequency of articles on menopause in the last 15 years, the media's portrayal of menopause is problematic in several respects: (a) in spite of the increased attention, the information available on menopause through the popular media is minimal and insufficient; (b) there was little variability in terms of perspective, discipline, or focus; almost all were focused on menopause as a negative experience or disease and in need of medical treatment; (c) there was considerable contradiction and inconsistency among the articles with respect to descriptions of menopause and intervention advice for menopausal women; (d) aging, stress, life-style factors, race and ethnicity, exercise and diet were, with few exceptions, ignored or trivialized.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

A content analysis of obstetrics and gynecology scholarship: implications for women's health.

In the context of studying the medicalization of women, we sought insight into the reflexive and mutually influential relationships between the prevailing social agenda and the formal knowledge base by analyzing the content, purpose and funding source of the scholarly work published in the three major, English-language obstetrics and gynecology journals. Our analysis of the 6103 articles published in 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1993 led us to the conclusion that, rather than responding to changing social needs and life-styles, the obstetrics and gynecology specialty has continued to emphasize the reproductive nature of women rather than the health and well-being requirements of non-pregnant and non-fertile women. The social values and attitudes toward women inferred from the priorities evident in these data are ideologically consistent with the view that women's primary role is that of reproduction. The implied importance of certain themes and the consequent allocation of resources may serve to perpetuate the politically oppressive view of women as biologically motivated and determined.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed1993

Menopausal symptoms as consequences of dysrhythmia.

A theoretical model is presented for understanding physical and psychological changes which frequently accompany the menopausal transition. According to this, as yet untested, model, as the menopausal transition progresses, hormonal patterns become unpredictable and previously learned homeostatic mechanisms can no longer provide a balanced internal milieu. The consequences of this dysrhythmia are the physical and psychological disruptions typical of jet travel and shift work. Internal attributions of illness and deficiency, promoted by the medical model and the popular media, have transformed these disruptions into a universal "deficiency disease." The model represents a theoretical integration and synthesis of diverse and, historically, unrelated areas; it is presented in order to promote empirical research on the causes, correlates, and interventions of menopausal symptoms.

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMed1992

Sex bias in psychological research. Progress or complacency?

A total of 4,952 articles published in 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990 in the areas of developmental, clinical, physiological, and social psychology were reviewed for the purpose of assessing various indicators of sexism in human psychological research. Significant changes in sex of first author, sex of participants, sexist language, and inappropriate generalization indicated that sexism has clearly diminished in the past two decades. Despite these improvements, however, the data revealed continued evidence of discriminatory practices, suggesting that efforts to eliminate sexism must be strengthened if psychology is to be a nonsexist discipline.

Female↗
PubMed1989

The importance of chronicity and controllability of stress in the context of stress-illness relationships.

The primary purpose of the present study was to increase our understanding of the roles of chronicity and controllability in the measurement of stress within the context of stress-illness relationships. Controllability and chronicity were assessed directly using a modified version of the Everyday Problems Scale. In addition to this scale, measures of depression, psychosomatic symptoms, and social support were administered to 128 women and 100 men. The results indicated that, for both men and women, the number of stressors was the best single predictor of symptoms. However, for women, chronicity and controllability of the stressors accounted for a significant amount of the variance in health outcomes over and above that accounted for by the number of stressors endorsed; for men, the addition of neither chronicity nor controllability consistently increased the strength of the association. While available social support was not found to influence the stress-illness relationships, greater willingness to utilize social support was associated with lower levels of depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The mediating effects of psychophysiological reactivity and recovery on the relationship between environmental stress and illness.

The present study investigated the association between psychophysiological reactivity and recovery and physical and psychological symptoms both directly and interactively with environmental stress. Symptoms, environmental stress, and psychophysiological reactivity to and recovery from a laboratory stressor were measured in 50 subjects. As in previous research, the results indicated a significant relationship between environmental stress and symptoms of illness. Although the data did not support a direct relationship between psychophysiological activity and illness, support for a buffering effect was found. Those individuals with greater physiological arousal to or slower recovery from a laboratory stressor exhibited a stronger relationship between environmental stress and symptoms than those who were less reactive or faster to recover. Implications of these results were discussed in the context of theoretical models relating stress and illness.

Arousal↗
PubMed1989

Perimenstrual symptoms: relationships with chronic stress and selected lifestyle variables.

Of primary interest in the present study was the assessment of the association between several contextual factors, including chronic stress, exercise, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine intake, and the self-report of perimenstrual symptoms. Two hundred and eleven women completed questionnaires designed to assess chronic stress, perimenstrual symptoms, and physical health. The results indicated that stress accounted for a significant amount of the variance in perimenstrual symptoms. Stress, however, accounted for a substantially greater amount of variance in scores on a general health measure than in self-reports of perimenstrual symptoms. Of those lifestyle variables assessed, only duration of current level of strenuous exercise was associated with perimenstrual symptoms to a meaningful extent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The potential role of exercise in the alleviation of menstrual disorders and menopausal symptoms: a theoretical synthesis of recent research.

Research in the last decade has advanced our understanding of menstrual disorders and menopause. Paralleling this research has been both a popular and a scholarly interest in the correlates and consequences of aerobic exercise. The purpose of this paper is to integrate these two domains on a theoretical and, when possible, an empirical level, and to discuss the potential benefits of exercise in the treatment of menstrual disorders and menopausal symptoms - specifically, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, hot flashes, and osteoporosis.

Exercise Therapy↗
PubMed1987

Correlates of menopausal hot flashes.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships of frequency, duration, and intensity of hot flashes with daily stress, ambient temperature, and caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine intake in menopausal women. Ten menopausal women suffering from hot flashes monitored these variables daily for 6 weeks. Intrasubject correlational analyses revealed significant relationships between hot-flash activity and stress for half of the sample; few women exhibited significant relationships between hot-flash activity and other variables. The results are discussed with respect to theoretical implications and treatment strategies.

Arousal↗
PubMed1979

The Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire and spasmodic/congestive dysmenorrhea: measurement of an invalid construct.

Chesney and Tasto's (1975a) Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) was developed on the basis of Dalton's theory of spasmodic and congestive dysmenorrhea, which states that the two types are caused by opposite hormonal imbalances and therefore should not be found in the same woman. Evidence is offered which suggests that the theory is incorrect. A multiple-group factor analysis failed to adequately support the two-component model. Subsequently, a factor analysis of 275 MSQs revealed seven factors rather than the two predicted by the theory. In addition, the incidence of both high premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in the same women was demonstrated. Finally, symptoms reported by women using oral contraceptives differed little from those reported by women not using oral contraceptives. It is concluded that scoring for the MSQ should be modified to include two subscales for premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, and that the labels "spasmodic" and "congestive" be discontinued until some evidence is found for their support.

Contraceptives, Oral↗
PubMed1977

The role of interoception in learned visceral control.

Research concerned with the psychology and physiology of interoceptive processes is reviewed with the purpose of evaluating theoretical formulations of learned visceral control. Basic animal research in interoception provides relevant information; however, much research dealing directly with interoception and learned control is inadequate due either to inappropriate measurement of interoceptive ability or to poor experimental design. The two primary theoretical orientations linking interoception and learned visceral control differ according to the role ascribed to external feedback; the first views feedback as an enhancement of interoceptive cues, the second as an enhancement of exteroceptive cues. These theories are discussed with regard to recent investigations of learned visceral control.

Afferent Pathways↗