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Biomedical subjects

M Decker

Publications and source records attributed to M Decker.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Circadian rhythms in hot flashes in natural and surgically-induced menopause.

The aim of this study was to investigate circadian and ultradian variations in menopausal hot flash. The number of hot flashes per 2-hr period was collected from 25 diurnally-active, perimenopausal women for 1 week in January or February of each year for 3 consecutive years. Fourteen women were experiencing natural menopause (NM) (mean age 51.9 years) and 11 were experiencing surgically-induced menopause (SIM) (mean age 52.0 years). The difference in the number of hot flashes between the two types of menopause at each clock time was not statistically significant; neither was the mean number of hot flashes per 24 hr different between the two groups (Student's t-test). Data when normalized for each woman and placed end-to-end revealed by cosinor analysis circadian rhythmicity in the SIM group (P = 0.02) but not in the NM group. A 12-hr periodicity was detected in both groups (P less than 0.001 for both). An 8-hr rhythm was detected only for the NM group (P = 0.04). Both groups combined exhibited statistically significant rhythmicities with periods of 24 hr (P = 0.003), 12 hr (P less than 0.001) and 8 hr (P = 0.005). Regardless of the type of menopause, the women could be separated into two groups based on the temporal pattern of hot flashes during the day. One group was defined by the occurrence of peak frequency of flashes during the morning (0400-0959), while the second group was defined by the occurrence of the peak in the evening (1600-2159).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activity Cycles↗
PubMed1988

Lung cancer mortality among women employed in high-risk industries and occupations in Harris County, Texas, 1977-1980.

Lung cancer is rapidly becoming the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. Interviews conducted with 259 women with lung cancer and 278 women without lung cancer or with their next-of-kin in Harris County, Texas from July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1980 revealed that 12 (4.6%) of the women with lung cancer had never smoked cigarettes. The odds ratio (OR) for current smoking was 15.7. Odds ratios for smoking for living women (OR = 17.5) were higher than for those who were deceased (OR = 12.6). Lifetime occupational histories were classified a priori into high- and low-risk categories. Data were stratified according to employment in a high-risk industry or occupation, a high-risk industry, a high-risk occupation, or both a high-risk industry and occupation. Although not statistically significant, odds ratios for employment in high-risk categories support earlier estimates that attributed 5% of lung cancer mortality in women to employment in hazardous occupations. Employment of a husband or household member in selected industries and occupations yielded significantly increased odds ratios. More cases (15.9%) than controls (6.9%) reported a family history of lung cancer (OR = 2.4). No significant increase in smoking-adjusted odds ratios was found for the use of hair spray, hand-held dryers, or alcohol, or for having lived with a household member who smoked cigarettes.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1987

Acute respiratory disease associated with influenza epidemics in Houston, 1981-1983.

Virological surveillance at "sentinel" clinics in Houston has demonstrated that the annual peak in the number of visits for acute respiratory disease (ARD) always coincides with the peak of influenza virus activity. A survey of visits to a health maintenance organization between 1981 and 1983 allowed us to calculate the age-specific rates of visits for ARD during two moderately severe influenza epidemics (1981-1982 and 1982-1983). During the most intense period of influenza virus activity the rate of visits for ARD was about 12 per 100 persons; the risk of developing ARD was greatest for preschool children (1981-1982, 27 per 100; 1982-1983, 29 per 100) and averaged about 10 per 100 for persons greater than 10 years of age. The risk of hospitalization with ARD was about 10 per 10,000 persons for residents of Harris County (Texas) during the same epidemics and was greatest for persons greater than 65 years of age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Survey of underlying conditions of persons hospitalized with acute respiratory disease during influenza epidemics in Houston, 1978-1981.

The peak occurrence of hospitalizations of persons with acute respiratory disease (ARD), usually pneumonia, has coincided with the peak of influenza virus activity each year. The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnoses other than ARD on the discharge record of patients hospitalized with ARD. We were particularly interested in determining the frequency of high-risk conditions for which influenza vaccine is currently recommended. The risk for ARD hospitalization was 19.7 per ten thousand for persons with high-risk conditions and only 9.3 for persons without. Chronic pulmonary disorders were the most common underlying conditions identified, and persons with pulmonary conditions had the greatest risk for ARD hospitalization. The highest rate occurred among persons older than 65 yr of age with pulmonary conditions (87.5 per ten thousand), and the rate was 27.5 for persons 45 to 64 yr of age. Cardiac conditions were the second most frequent group of underlying disorders of patients hospitalized with ARD. Only for persons younger than 20 yr of age was the risk of ARD hospitalization greater for persons with cardiac conditions than for those with pulmonary conditions (22.9 and 14.9 per ten thousand, respectively). Death, however, was more frequent among persons with underlying heart disease. Intensified effort is needed to fully implement recommendations for prophylaxis of influenza in order to reduce these risks.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Acute respiratory disease hospitalizations as a measure of impact of epidemic influenza.

Current measures of the health impact of epidemic influenza focus on analyses of death certificate data which may underestimate the true health effect. Previous investigations of influenza-related morbidity either have lacked virologic confirmation of influenza virus activity in the community or were not population-based. Community virologic surveillance in Houston, Texas has demonstrated that influenza viruses have produced epidemics each year since 1974. This study examined the relationship of hospitalizations with acute respiratory disease to the occurrence of influenza epidemics. Discharge records of 13,297 acute respiratory disease hospitalizations that occurred between July 1978 and June 1981 were obtained from 11 hospitals with 48.4% of hospital beds available in Harris County (metropolitan Houston). The correlation of adult acute respiratory disease hospitalizations with established indices of community acute respiratory disease morbidity was strong (r = 0.74) and indicated that the peak of adult acute respiratory disease hospitalizations followed the peak of influenza virus isolations by one week. Only 23.2% of persons hospitalized were 65 years of age or older, compared to 60-70% of persons who die during influenza epidemics. Although the highest rates of acute respiratory disease hospitalizations occurred among infants and persons aged 65 years or older, the rates for adults 45-64 years and preschool children aged 1-4 years were greater than 1 per 1,000 persons. Surveillance of acute respiratory disease hospitalizations can improve the measurement of serious morbidity associated with epidemic influenza, and can better define the characteristics of persons at risk for development of illness requiring hospitalization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Supermarket sales of high-sugar products in predominantly Black, Hispanic, and white census tracts of Houston, Texas.

Sales of 488 sweet foods and beverages by supermarkets located in predominantly Black, Hispanic, and white census tracts of Houston, TX, were examined in relation to sales of a number of commodity foods. Mean sweet energy/commodity food sales ratios in Black and Hispanic census tract supermarkets were 122 and 108%, respectively, of those in white census tracts. Ethnic differences in sweet energy/commodity sales ratios were almost always statistically significant (p less than 0.05), but variation within ethnic groups of supermarkets remained large, indicating that nonethnic factors also influenced the food purchase patterns. Supermarket sales records offer a relatively inexpensive source of data for comparative or longitudinal studies of community purchase of food products postulated to play a role in the development of nutrition-associated health problems. The major problems in interpreting the data result from a need to use ratios, and lack of a valid measure of the population consuming the foods purchased.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1982

Ethnic patterns of salt purchase in Houston, Texas.

Dietary sodium may play a contributory role in the development of hypertension, but difficulties in defining the "usual" sodium intake of individuals prevent any stronger statement on the nature of the diet-disease relationship. The prevelance of hypertension is greater in black than in white populations of the United States, and there is speculation that dietary sodium intake may also be greater in black individuals. A significant proportion of dietary sodium is derived from table salt added to food during its preparation and consumption. In an attempt to identify whether purchase of table salt was sufficiently increased in black communities to support the hypothesis of an etiologic role in hypertension, the scales of table salt in supermarkets located in predominantly black, Hispanic and white census tracts of Houston, Texas, were compared. The mean ratio between sales of salt and a series of 20 staple food commodities in predominantly black and Hispanic census tract supermarkets were 148% and 202%, respectively, of that in predominantly white census tracts. The elevated ratios were not due to reduced sales of the food commodities. The authors conclude that sales of table salt, in relation to the series of food commodities, are 50-100% higher in Houston's black and Hispanic census tract supermarkets than in those of white census tracts. Whether the increased sales of table salt have causal relationship to the prevalence of hypertension in these communities can only be determined by further studies.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1982

Effects of cost-sharing on users of a state's health service program.

This study analyzed some of the effects of the introduction of cost-sharing on users of the state's health service program. The study population had previously received services at no charge and consisted of people with provider-determined medical need, and included, but was not limited to people in financial need. The study sample was selected from 3 years of program service records (1977-1980). Sampling was random and stratified by key variables. Time-series analysis as well as pre/post-policy comparisons were employed. Analysis of changes in the distributions of service user characteristics and in services provided indicated that use of services was not affected adversely and that lower-income, medically needy people were not deterred from using services following the introduction of cost-sharing. Limitations to the study are reviewed, and implications of using cost-sharing in programs such as Medicaid are considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Oxygen tension under a contact lens.

Corneal thickness changes were measured on human subjects who wore gel lenses that varied in center thickness. Using these measurements and the results of an earlier study in which changes in corneal thickness were monitored on human corneas exposed to oxygen tensions below that in air, we showed that the oxygen tension under most contact lenses varies from 0 to 25 mm Hg which produces a corresponding oxygen flux into the cornea of 0 to 6 microliter cm2 hr. A critical oxygen tension and flux under the lens was found to be 10 mm Hg and 2 microliter cm2 hr, respectively, below which corneal swelling occurs. To maintain these critical levels of tension and flux, the minimum oxygen transmissibility of a stationary lens on the cornea was determined to be 5 X 10(-9) and 15 X 10(-9) (cm X ml O2)/(sec X ml X mm Hg) for the open and closed eye conditions, respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Determination of newborn special care bed requirements by application of queuing theory to 1975-1976 morbidity experience.

The movement of newborn infants from the delivery room of a level III perinatal center to nursing units that provided different levels of care was prospectively documented for 1975 and 1976. These data were employed in a computer modeling experiment based on sequential queuing theory to determine the relationships between numbers of available intermediate and maximum care nursery beds, the probability that a given newborn arrival could not be accommodated, and the occupancy rates for each level of care. The nursery bed requirements for the level III center were used to estimate the number of special care beds needed by the regional Health Service Area.

Bed Occupancy↗
PubMed1978

Oxygen flux into the human cornea when covered by a soft contact lens.

Corneal thickness was measured in human subjects who wore gel lenses that varied only in center thickness. The amount of corneal swelling that developed was a function of center lens thickness. Based on these data and the results of a previous study, the minimum oxygen tension under the lens necessary to maintain normal corneal hydration was determined to be 10 mm Hg. The critical oxygen flux into the cornea at this oxygen tension is 2 microliter/cm2 x hr. Gel-lens center thickness and oxygen permeability can be altered to increase the oxygen tension at the tear/lens interface and resultant oxygen flux into the cornea by increasing the oxygen transmissibility of the lens.

Adult↗