OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative contributions of race, sex, abdominal obesity, and hyperlipidemia to the development of hyperinsulinemia among patients with hypertension. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: A large family practice ambulatory care unit in Winston-Salem, NC. PATIENTS: One hundred and forty adult patients with essential hypertension (systolic blood pressure > or = 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure at or above 90 mm Hg on 2 or more occasions) or who were receiving antihypertensive treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fasting insulin, lipid, and glucose levels; glycosylated hemoglobin; waist-hip ratio; and resting blood pressure. METHODS: Among 4 patient subgroups (hypertension alone; hypertension and abdominal obesity; hypertension and hyperlipidemia; and hypertension, abdominal obesity, and hyperlipidemia) logistic regression analysis was used to determine correlates of elevated fasting insulin levels. RESULTS: Controlling for age and blood pressure, black males had the highest fasting insulin levels (135 +/- 70 pmol/L [18.8 +/- 9.6 microU/mL] and 265 pmol/L [37.0 +/- 0.0 microU/mL] [mean +/- SD] for obese and nonobese black males, respectively); nonobese white males had the lowest fasting insulin levels (23 +/- 22 pmol/L [3.2 +/- 3.0 microU/mL]). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that the addition of abdominal obesity or hyperlipidemia to pure hypertension more than doubled the risk of hyperinsulinemia (adjusted odds ratio, 2.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-6.89; and adjusted odds ratio, 2.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.37-8.6, respectively). The combination of abdominal obesity and hyperlipidemia exerted additive effects among patients with hypertension for elevated insulin levels (adjusted odds ratio, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.59-16.4). CONCLUSIONS: Race, sex, abdominal obesity, and hyperlipidemia interact to produce increases in fasting insulin levels. This knowledge may help physicians prevent sequelae from hyperinsulinemia syndrome among their patients with hypertension.

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Gold secretion in maternal milk.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Economics of MRI technology.

MRI development in the United States is reviewed from 1983 to the present with the intent of projecting future utilization and reimbursement. Since 1992, a decreasing rate of new installations and an aging installed base have markedly lowered the ratio between fixed and variable costs, thereby improving the ability to project cost per study. Variable costs are now estimated to average $175 to $200 per examination, up sharply from earlier reports. Actual costs per study usually exceed $400, even for high volume sites. Major cost contributors are reviewed and methods for identifying impediments to efficient operation are suggested.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

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Animal and animal product importation and the assessment of risk from bluetongue and other ruminant orbiviruses.

Agriculture is an important component in the national economy of the United Kingdom and incursion of exotic disease would have severe effects on the United Kingdom domestic economy, causing both direct and indirect losses. The literature on bluetongue and other ruminant orbiviruses is reviewed in order to assess the risk of importing animal and animal products from countries with endemic infection. The literature is confusing, contradictory and incomplete and so cannot be used as a basis for designing practical import regulations with any certainty of eliminating risk. Contemporary methods used to prevent accidental introduction of bluetongue virus to uninfected areas, namely serological and virus isolation techniques, are not infallible. The phenomena of fetal infection, semen transmission and low or absent serological response in some cases mean that great vigilance is necessary.

Animals↗

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Smoking status and psychosocial variables in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

While depression, anxiety, and negative affect are associated with smoking and smoking cessation outcomes in healthy individuals, these associations have not been established in smokers with chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, a condition which greatly increases cardiovascular disease risk. Other psychosocial variables such as stress and locus of control may also be associated with smoking but are seldom reported. We examined stress, affect, and locus of control by smoking status in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Results indicated that current smokers reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress, a more negative affect, and higher powerful others locus of control compared with nonsmokers. These findings indicate that those patients who have diabetes and who smoke are at greater risk for depressive symptoms. This knowledge may aid clinicians in their attempts to help these patients quit smoking.

Adolescent↗

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Association of gender with symptoms and complications in type II diabetes mellitus.

Females with Type II diabetes appear more likely than males to experience symptoms and vascular complications related to their disease.

Adult↗

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The impact of multiple patient transport on patient care in helicopter emergency medical services.

INTRODUCTION: Many helicopter emergency medical services can transport either one (singles) or two (doubles) patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the additional patient in the doubles flight had an adverse impact on patient care because of the deceased provider-to-patient ratio. SETTING: Patients were flown by a Level 1 trauma center-based helicopter emergency medical service staffed by a nurse and paramedic. METHOD. A retrospective record and trauma registry review comparing 124 randomly selected scene trauma singles frequency-matched to 100 doubles (1/89 through 6/92) was performed. Data collected included patient demographics, Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Scale, Revised Trauma Score, mechanism of injury, scene time, and ground ALS and helicopter emergency medical services procedures performed. RESULTS: Doubles accounted for 6.5% of all on-scene helicopter emergency medical service trauma patient transports. Paired comparison of Glasgow Coma Scale, Revised Trauma Score, and Injury Severity Score revealed that only one of the doubles patients had a field Glasgow Coma Scale as low, or a Injury Severity Score as high as the average singles. Revised trauma scores were equivalent. Although more procedures were performed during doubles missions, no procedures were performed in most singles missions (58%) and a substantial minority of doubles missions (41%). No differences were found between the groups in change in Glasgow Coma Scale during flight. CONCLUSION: Only of the two patients during doubles missions was as severely injured as the average patient in a singles transport. The decreased ratio of helicopter emergency medical service crew to patients in doubles missions does not jeopardize patient care because few procedures were performed during either singles or doubles missions.

Air Ambulances↗

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Racial differences in symptoms and complications in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the frequency of common symptoms and complications between African- and white American adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a primary care setting, and to examine associations of these conditions with glycemic control. DESIGN: Three hundred and four adults with type 2 diabetes participated in this cross-sectional analysis; 142 of whom were African-Americans. Patients were recruited from a family practice ambulatory care unit and a community health center. RESULTS: Both male and female African-Americans had higher mean diastolic blood pressure and poorer metabolic control than their white counterparts. After adjustment for diabetes duration, glycosylated hemoglobin and diastolic blood pressure, African-American females were significantly more likely to experience constipation and hypertension but less likely to experience chest pain, claudication, peripheral neuropathy or have peripheral vascular disease. Among male subjects, African-Americans were significantly more likely to experience blurred vision and hypertension but less likely to have peripheral atherosclerotic disease. Poor glycemic control was more strongly associated with the occurrence of common diabetic symptoms in African-American subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Both African- and white Americans with type 2 diabetes are likely to experience a wide variety of symptoms and vascular complications. African-American subjects appear more likely than whites to experience symptoms related to glycemic control but less likely to have, or experience symptoms and complications of, cardiovascular disease. That nearly half of these subjects seen in a primary care setting had microalbuminuria suggests that vascular complications are likely to be present in the majority of adults with type 2 diabetes, even in these currently asymptomatic. These findings may have implications for screening and preventive strategies for the treatment of this disease.

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