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Biomedical subjects

R A Oppliger

Publications and source records attributed to R A Oppliger.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Iowa wrestling study: cross-validation of the Tcheng-Tipton minimal weight prediction formulas for high school wrestlers.

Previous research by Tcheng and Tipton developed two prediction equations appropriate for the estimation of minimal weight for high school wrestlers. The purpose of this investigation was to cross-validate these equations using densitometric estimates of minimal weight. Skeletal dimension measurements and hydrostatic weighing were completed on 220 Iowa high school wrestlers at various times in and out of season. High concurrent validity (r = 0.93) and small residual errors (less than 0.33 kg) were observed when compared to densitometric estimates. Regression weights were of similar magnitude to those from the previous study. Two new prediction models were tested. Model II enhanced the multiple R over previous equations to 0.962 and decreased the SEE by 25% (0.55 kg). The equation was: Minimal Weight (lbs) = 0.49 x Current Weight (lbs) + 1.65 x Height (inches) + 1.81 x Chest Diameter (cm) + 6.70 x Right Wrist Diameter (cm) + 1.35 x Chest Depth (cm) - 156.56. It was concluded that the Tcheng-Tipton equations or the new models could be used as valid indicators of a minimal weight for scholastic wrestlers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Responses of SHR to combinations of chemical sympathectomy, adrenal demedullation, and training.

The single and combined influences of exercise training, chemical sympathectomy (SYMX), and surgical adrenal demedullation (D) were examined in four separate spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) groups. SYMX was accomplished by subcutaneous injections of antinerve growth factor (ANGF) over a 5-day period after birth followed by 20 separate injections of guanethidine sulfate during a 27-day period. Measurements of urine, plasma, or tissue levels of catecholamines indicated that these experimental procedures were effective. The animals were exercise trained (T) for 10 wk or longer at 40-60% of their VO2max capacity, and all T groups exhibited longer run times or higher muscle cytochrome oxidase activity; however, only the SHR + T subgroup had a significantly higher VO2max value than its control (NT). Training lowered resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the SHR subgroup but normalization of SBP occurred only with SYMX. Interestingly, only the SYMX + T subgroup with intact adrenal glands also had lower SBP values than the NT. The SHR + T and SYMX + T subgroups but not the SYMX + D + T had less cardiac acceleration after ip injections of atropine than their controls. Heavier heart weights were observed only in the SHR + T subgroup; SYMX was associated with lighter heart weights regardless of whether the rats had been T or D. These collective findings demonstrated again the importance of the sympathetic nervous system to an exercise response, suggesting that an intact adrenal medulla was essential for SHR groups to achieve many of the adaptations associated with training.

Adrenal Medulla↗
PubMed1979

Maximum oxygen consumption of rats and its changes with various experimental procedures.

A ten-stage treadmill test was developed and standardized to secure the VO2max of male and female rats assigned to various cross-sectional and longitudinal experimental groups. Repeated measurements indicated that the test procedure was reliable and could be used for research purposes. When the test was used with different strains, the untrained Sprague-Dawley rats had significantly higher VO2max values than animals of the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) or the Okamoto-Aoki (SHR) strains. Exercise schedules were evaluated that were similar to those previously used by various investigators and it was found that most were exercising their rats at levels exceeding 75% VO2max. After 6--10 wk of chronic exercise, significant increases in VO2max occurred that ranged between 12 and 26%. Longitudinal studies (1 yr) with hypertensive (SHR) rats revealed that it was more desirable to logarithmically evaluate the relationship between VO2max and body mass than by the conventional method of ml . kg-1 . min-1. When this approach was used with SHR animals, the VO2max differences between the sexes were not apparent until the animals were 1 yr of age. On the other hand, training by male SHR rats caused significant increases in VO2max regardless of the method used to express the results. It is recommended that future studies designed to elucidate exercise mechanisms in rats should include a standardized VO2max test.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical diagnosis and the order of information.

BACKGROUND: Information order can influence judgment. However, it remains unclear whether the order of clinical data affects physicians' interpretations of these data when they are engaged in familiar diagnostic tasks. METHODS: Of 400 randomly selected family physicians who were given a questionnaire involving a brief written scenario about a young woman with acute dysuria, 315 (79%) returned usable responses. The physicians had been randomized into two groups, and both groups had received the same clinical information but in different orders. After learning the patient's chief complaint, physicians received either the patient's history and physical examination results followed by the laboratory data (the H&P-first group) or the laboratory data followed by the history and physical examination results (the H&P-last group). The results of the history and physical examination were supportive of the diagnosis of UTI, while the laboratory data were not. All physicians judged the probability of a urinary tract infection (UTI) after each piece of information. RESULTS: The two groups had similar mean estimates of the probability of a UTI after learning the chief complaint (67.4% vs 67.8%, p = 0.85). At the end of the scenario, the H&P-first group judged UTI to be less likely than did the H&P-last group (50.9% vs 59.1%, p = 0.03) despite having identical information. Comparison of the mean likelihood ratios attributed to the clinical information showed that the H&P-first group gave less weight to the history and physical than did the H&P-last group (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The order in which clinical information was presented influenced physicians' estimates of the probability of disease. The clinical history and physical examination were given more weight by physicians who received this information last.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk factors associated with pressure ulcers in the pediatric patient following open--heart surgery.

From a retrospective chart audit conducted on 59 infants and children who had survived open-heart surgery, 16.9% were found to have developed ulcers on the occipital region of their scalps during the postoperative period. Four risk factors were identified: age, type of congenital heart defect, length of time intubated, and length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A protocol designed to decrease the amount of pressure and shearing force applied to the occipital region of these patients postoperatively was implemented. A dramatic decline to 4.8% in the incidence of pressure ulcers was noted after implementation of the protocol.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗