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Biomedical subjects

L H Epstein

Publications and source records attributed to L H Epstein.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Perception of expiratory flow by asthmatics and non-asthmatics during rest and exercise.

Perception of respiratory function may be an important factor in self-management of asthma. Previous research has suggested that asthmatics may not accurately perceive pulmonary functioning. The perception of normal and asthmatic individuals was assessed using a magnitude production procedure in a series of three studies, proceeding from normal individuals during rest, then submaximal exercise, to a comparison of normal and asthmatic adolescents during rest and submaximal exercise. At rest there were no differences between males and females, adults and adolescents, or asthmatics and non-asthmatics. However, there were significant differences in perception between rest and exercise for all groups. These findings suggest that a breakdown in perception does not occur during submaximal exercise in patients with asthma.

Adolescent↗

Exercise and subsequent sleep in male runners: failure to support the slow wave sleep-mood-exercise hypothesis.

10 male joggers participated in a 3-week experimental protocol designed to look at the effects of three levels of energy expenditure (no exercise, regular exercise, and double exercise) on mood and subsequent nocturnal sleep focusing on REM sleep and delta sleep parameters. Exercise conditions were well discriminated by daily (F(2,18) = 65.8, p less than 0.0000) mean hip activity counts during monitored field exercise and by the mean weekly body weights (F(2,14) = 7.24, p less than 0.007). Subjects slept for 2 nights in the laboratory following each exercise condition and filled out two brief, clinical self-rating scales each night prior to sleep. These two self-rating instruments together index 105 somatic and psychobiological symptoms that are subsumed by the five major clinical symptom clusters of: Depression, Mania, Anxiety, Cognitive Disorganization, and Organicity. There were no significant differences in manually scored whole-night sleep parameters with the exception of REM latency (F(2,18) = 3.63, p less than 0.05), and there were no significant differences in self-ratings of psychobiological symptoms by night or exercise condition. These results are discussed in the context of failure to support either the slow wave sleep-exercise hypothesis or the exercise-mood elevation hypothesis.

Adult↗

The effect of smoking on perception of muscle tension.

It has been suggested that smoking may reduce affect in high-arousal situations by blocking peripheral physiological cues. The effects of smoking on perception of one type of physiological response, muscle activity, was evaluated in two studies. In study 1 male and female smokers were exposed to four conditions: high and low arousal crossed with smoking or deprivation. Results showed that smokers produce less muscle activity during high- than low-arousal situations, and that smoking reduced sensitivity to muscle activity in females, but enhanced it in males. These perception differences were not related to arousal as assessed by heart rate, which was elevated in all high-arousal situations. When compared to nonsmokers, smokers in a deprived state generate more muscle activity during the perception task, but showed no differences in sensitivity. These results represent the initial demonstration that smoking can alter the perception of physiological processes. Study 2 was designed to determine whether the effects of smoking were specific to muscle tension or indicative of a more generalized perceptual change. Perception of muscle tension and decibel levels were compared in smoking or deprived female smokers who were in the high-arousal situation. Results for muscle-tension perception in high-arousal situations were similar to those in study 1, but smoking did not alter perception of auditory stimuli.

Adolescent↗

Mood changes in behavioral weight loss programs.

Ten studies investigating the relationship between mood change and weight loss in behavioral weight loss programs were reviewed. Significant positive changes in mood were observed in 6 of the 10 studies. There was no evidence to indicate that untoward reactions to dieting were frequent, that patients with juvenile-onset obesity experienced more negative mood changes than those with adult-onset obesity, or that dropping out of treatment was a response to increasing depression. The positive changes in mood were related to active participation in a treatment program, and occurred in behavioral and nonbehavioral treatment programs. Differences between the studies reviewed and the earlier research on mood and weight loss are discussed and suggestions made for subsequent studies of mood changes during weight reduction.

Anxiety↗

The direct effects of compliance on health outcome.

Six studies that randomized patients to drugs versus placebo and also made complaint/noncompliant determinations were reviewed to document the main effects of compliance on health outcome. While the studies varied in terms of demonstrating a main effect of drugs, in five of six cases a main statistical effect of compliance was observed. Possible mechanisms for this effect are briefly noted.

Alcoholism↗

Effects of weight loss on fitness in obese children.

The relationship between weight and fitness change was established in 113 obese preadolescents participating in a six-month behavioral weight control program. Results showed significant improvements for both weight and fitness. Program success was strongly related to changes in exercise heart rate. Children who were most successful in the program decreased their maximal and recovery heart rates by 10.1 and 17.8 beats per minute, children with medium success had decreases of 4.9 and 11.8 beats per minute, and least successful children had decreases of 3.9 and 6.4 beats per minute. Analyses revealed that the combination of effective weight loss and an initially moderate degree of overweight (40% to 50%) combined to produce the greatest fitness changes. Children who entered treatment more than moderately overweight achieved comparable fitness improvements only if their weight loss was dramatic.

Behavior Therapy↗

Parent--child obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.

Blood pressure, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were studied in obese children and obese parents selected to participate in a weight treatment program. The relationships between parent and child risk levels, as well as the relationship between child and parent weight and risk factors, were established. Results showed that children's cholesterol and triglycerides were related to parental lipid levels, independent of weight. Children's blood pressure readings were strongly related to their weight, but not to parental blood pressure. High density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were negatively related to weight in both child and parent female populations, and weakly positively related to weight for male children. Implications of these risk factor patterns for intervention are discussed.

Blood Pressure↗