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Biomedical subjects

R Andres

Publications and source records attributed to R Andres.

116 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Cessation of cocaine use during pregnancy: a preliminary comparison.

This preliminary study examined differences between cocaine-dependent pregnant women who received "baseline" drug treatment (N = 13) and those requiring additional "intensive" treatment (N = 9). Baseline drug treatment consisted of weekly individual counseling sessions. Intensive treatment, in the form of contingency management procedures, was added for patients who showed no reduction in cocaine use during the first 4 weeks of treatment. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of demographic and pregnancy characteristics or history of cocaine use. Significantly more patients in the baseline treatment group were cocaine-free at intake and had a higher rate of compliance with scheduled prenatal clinical visits. These findings may indicate a decision to cease cocaine use prior to entering treatment, and a high degree of motivation to remain drug-free. Despite the small sample size, the finding that a substantial proportion of cocaine-dependent pregnant women remain cocaine-free during treatment is encouraging.

Cocaine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of age on insulin response and glucose utilization during four hyperglycemic plateaus.

In order to evaluate the potential role of insulin insensitivity as a cause of the glucose (G) intolerance of aging, we performed 230 hyperglycemic clamps, 85 on young (Y, 24 to 39 years), 47 on middle age (M, 40 to 59 years), and 98 on old (O, 60 to 90 years) carefully screened subjects of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The 2-h plasma G levels on an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were < 7.8 mmol/l in Y and M and < 10 mmol/l in old; the latter group was further dichotomized at 7.8 mmol/l into a "normal" group, ON, and an impaired group, OI. Four hyperglycemic plateaus were created: 3.0, 5.4, 7.9, and 12.8 mmol/l above basal. Three measures of glucose tolerance--1) G at 2 h after glucose ingestion, 2) glucose utilization, M, at each hyperglycemic plateau, and 3) glucose decay constant, K, obtained at the conclusion of each clamp--showed the best performance in the young group (Y > M = ON > OI). Despite these differences in glucose tolerance, plasma insulin responses (I) during the clamp were not significantly different except that ON < Y at the basal + 12.8 plateau (300 +/- 42 vs. 456 +/- 48 pmol/l, p < 0.01). Insulin-dependent glucose uptake, a measure of tissue sensitivity to insulin, was decreased in the old-impaired group at every plateau except the highest. We conclude that healthy, active older subjects showed moderate intolerance to oral and IV glucose and that the mechanism of this physiological aging process is most likely decreased insulin sensitivity.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cholesterol as a risk factor for coronary heart disease in elderly men. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

In order to explore the relationship of cholesterol to coronary heart disease (CHD), defined as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and sudden coronary death, in older men, a group of 1052 men, participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, were examined. Subjects were stratified into three age groups, 28 to 64, 65 to 74, and 75 to 97 years old. In all three age groups, cholesterol was a significant risk factor for CHD. In the oldest age group (n = 250), the relationship between cholesterol and risk was linear (P = .003) as opposed to younger age groups where the relationship was exponential. This study extends the age range in which hypercholesterolemia has been shown to be associated with CHD to include the 75- to 97-year range.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cessation of cocaine use during pregnancy: effects of contingency management interventions on maintaining abstinence and complying with prenatal care.

Previous studies have reported cessation of cocaine use in pregnant women prior to treatment entry. This study examined the relative effectiveness of adjunctive contingency management interventions in maintaining abstinence and enhancing compliance with prenatal care in this unique population. Pregnant cocaine-dependent women who had used the drug during this pregnancy but had ceased use prior to study entry (N = 12) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. All patients received a multifaceted treatment including behaviorally based drug counseling and weekly prenatal visits. Patients in the experimental condition also received contingent reinforcement for cocaine abstinence and attendance at prenatal visits. There was a high rate of retention and abstinence from cocaine in both groups. However, patients in the experimental group had a higher rate of attendance at prenatal visits, and none of the patients in this group experienced adverse perinatal outcome(s), compared to 80% of patients in the control group. This finding has important implications for cost-effective treatments and prevention of illness.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Longitudinal evaluation of prostate-specific antigen levels in men with and without prostate disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate longitudinal changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with and without prostate disease. DESIGN: Case-control study of men with and without prostate disease who were participants in a prospective aging study. SETTING: Gerontology Research Center of the National Institute on Aging; the Baltimore (Md) Longitudinal Study of Aging. PATIENTS: Sixteen men with no prostate disease (control group), 20 men with a histologic diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and 18 men with a histologic diagnosis of prostate cancer. OUTCOME MEASURES: Multiple PSA and androgen determinations on serum samples obtained from 7 to 25 years prior to histologic diagnosis or exclusion of prostate disease. RESULTS: Changes in androgen levels with age did not differ between groups. Control subjects did not show a significant change in PSA levels with age. There was a significant difference in the age-adjusted rate of change in PSA levels between groups (prostate cancer greater than BPH greater than control; P less than .01). At 5 years before diagnosis when PSA levels did not differ between subjects with BPH and prostate cancer, rate of change in PSA levels (0.75 micrograms/L per year) was significantly greater in subjects with prostate cancer compared with control subjects and subjects with BPH. Also, rate of change in PSA levels distinguished subjects with prostate cancer from subjects with BPH and control subjects with a specificity of 90% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant factor affecting serum PSA levels with age is the development of prostate disease. Rate of change in PSA levels may be a sensitive and specific early clinical marker for the development of prostate cancer.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Plasma levels of estradiol, testosterone, and DHEAS do not predict risk of coronary artery disease in men.

Prior studies have reported men with coronary artery disease (CAD) to have elevated plasma levels of estrogens and reduced concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS). We investigated whether gonadal steroids or DHEAS are risk factors for CAD in men, using a prospective design, in a well characterized population studied at regular intervals. We studied 46 men (Cardiac group) who developed CAD and 124 men (Control group) who remained free of CAD (mean follow-up, 9.5 years). We measured testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and DHEAS, as well as plasma binding of T and E2, in samples stored before the onset of CAD (Cardiac group) or at matched times (Control group). Body mass index, blood pressure, and total serum cholesterol were measured at each visit. Both systolic blood pressure (SBP; P less than 0.001) and cholesterol (P less than 0.001) were increased in the Cardiac group, but no significant differences were found in total or free T or E2, the ratio of E2/T, or DHEAS between the two groups. The difference in cholesterol was significant only in men less than or equal to 65 years old (P less than 0.001), and SBP only in men greater than 65 years old (P less than 0.005). Cholesterol (P less than 0.05) and E2 (P less than 0.001) appeared to decrease with age in the Cardiac, but not the Control, group. Moreover, total (P less than 0.01) and free E2 (P less than 0.05) were lower only in Cardiac men less than or equal to 55 years old.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in forebrain, cerebellum and brain stem phospholipid patterns from mothers and newborn rats after chronic pentazocine treatment during the gestation period.

Pregnant female Wistar rats were injected with pentazocine intramuscularly during the first nineteen days of the gestation period. The initial dose (1.8 mg/kg body weight) was increased daily by 1.2 mg of pentazocine, finishing with 23.4 mg/kg body weight. Chemical analysis of the forebrain, cerebellum and brain stem from mothers and their newborns points to statistically non-significant changes in total protein, phospholipid and cholesterol contents after pentazocine treatment. The phospholipid pattern only changed significantly in the brain stem of the mother rats treated with pentazocine, showing an increase (p less than 0.05) in inositol phosphoglycerides (2.5-fold) and phosphatidylglycerol (3.5-fold) percentages, while ethanolamine- and serine-phosphoglycerides decreased (p less than 0.05) by about 0.9 and 0.6-fold, respectively. The cholesterol profile found in the forebrains of the mother rats and their newborns did not show statistically significant differences after treatment.

Animals↗