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Biomedical subjects

R Bossé

Publications and source records attributed to R Bossé.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Differences in social support among retirees and workers: findings from the Normative Aging Study.

Cross-sectional differences between retirees and workers in the importance of coworkers as a source of support, as well as in general quantitative support (social networks and frequency of interaction) and qualitative support (confidants and the perceived reliability of support) were examined. The sample consisted of 1,513 older men (mean age = 61), participants in the Normative Aging Study. Half (56%) were working, and the rest were retired. Slightly fewer retirees than workers reported coworker friends, especially among those who were long-term retirees or who did not work at all in retirement. Whereas similar findings were seen with quantitative support, workers and retirees reported nearly identical levels of qualitative support. However, retirees almost never discussed personal problems with former coworkers. The relevance of these findings for the convoy construct is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Longitudinal findings from the Normative Aging Study: II. Do emotionality and extraversion predict symptom change?

We investigated the relationship between the personality traits of emotionality and extraversion and symptom-reporting, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The sample consisted of 1,034 men, initially screened for good health, who completed both the 16PF and at least two CMIs, (M = 5, range = 2-8) over an average period of 17 years (range = 2-25). Using a two-stage growth model, we obtained a predicted baseline and slope for each man for self-reported physical and psychological symptoms. Correlations revealed that emotionality was positively related to the numbers of both physical and psychological symptoms reported at baseline, while extraversion was negatively related. However, regression analyses including age and both personality variables indicated that only emotionality was associated with level of symptom-reporting. Longitudinal analyses revealed that emotionality was unrelated to physical symptom slopes and only weakly related to psychological slopes. We interpret these results as showing that, while personality and symptom-reporting are related cross-sectionally, personality does not predict changes in symptom reporting.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

An angiotensin with prolonged action and blood pressure--lowering properties.

[Sar1,Phe(Br5)8] angiotensin II (Br5Ang II) is a specific, quasi-irreversible antagonist of angiotensin II (Ang II) in vitro. In vivo, this compound is a very potent, Ang II-specific antagonist with a very long duration of action against Ang II-induced blood pressure (BP) increases. In the "low-sodium" dog, this compound induces a prolonged BP reduction during and after intravenous infusion at doses comparable to cilazapril, a potent ACE inhibitor. The physicochemical and pharmacokinetic behavior of this peptide was therefore assessed to understand and interpret the prolonged antagonistic and antihypertensive activity of this peptide. Binding studies using beef adrenocortical membranes indicated specific binding of Br5Ang and related analogues to Ang II receptors with a Kd of 1.41 x 10(-9) M against iodinated [Sar1, D-Phe8]Ang II, a standard radioligand antagonist. Iodinated Br5AngII exhibited a very high degree of nonspecific binding to the membranes. It had an octanol-water partitioning coefficient of log P of + 0.903, a coefficient 84-fold higher than for [125I][Sar1, D-Phe8]Ang II. Association kinetics of [125I]Br5Ang II were similar to the standard ligand [125I] [Sar1, D-Phe8]Ang II, but the half-life of dissociation was four times higher (60 vs. 15 min at 20 degrees C). Molecular modeling indicates a practically identical conformational behavior of both peptides, Br5Ang II and [Sar1, D-Phe8]Ang II but with an expanded hydration shell over the Br5 residue. It is concluded that the prolonged duration of action is due to the increased hydrophobicity of the peptide, which leads to a slow dissociation from the Ang II receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1990

The MAC scale in a normal population: the meaning of "false positives".

The MAC scale has been very successful in identifying alcoholics and, in studies of clinical populations, is often considered a test for predisposition to alcoholism. MacAndrew, however, holds that the MAC scale assesses a more general personality trait characterized by sociability, boldness, rebelliousness and pleasure seeking. The present study examines the distribution of MAC scale scores in a normal population and tests for correlates of high MAC scores other than alcohol-related problems (e.g., arrest history). The sample consisted of 1,117 men, participants in the Normative Aging Study (mean age = 61.6). As expected, heavier drinkers and problem drinkers reported significantly higher MAC scale scores than did lighter and nonproblem drinkers. However, arrestees without drinking problems had MAC scale scores nearly identical to those of problem drinkers without arrest histories (23.19 and 23.42, respectively). Further, 36% of the sample without problem drinking or arrest histories had MAC scale scores of 24 or above, the clinical indicator of alcoholism, and more than 32% of these had scores above 27. In the entire sample, of the 152 men who had MAC scores above 27, 71% had no problems, either with arrest or drinking. Results are interpreted as supporting MacAndrew's interpretation of the meaning of the MAC scale as a general personality measure rather than a specific alcoholism instrument.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

An angiotensin II antagonist with strongly prolonged action.

A highly hydrophobic analogue of angiotensin II (AT), [Sar1,(2',3',4',5',6'-Br5)Phe8]AT exhibited strong and persistent specific antagonism against AT, both in vitro and in vivo. This peptide exhibited 32% of the binding affinity of [Sar1]AT towards membranes of bovine adrenal cortex, it was a specific AT antagonist of irreversible character on smooth muscle assays, and it also suppressed for over 120 min at 7.10(-8) M/kg the blood pressure response towards AT in the rat blood pressure assay. This compound harbours therefore the potential of a new class of AT-specific antihypotensive drugs.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1989

Does emotionality predict stress? Findings from the normative aging study.

Investigated whether emotionality, assessed in 1975, predicted the reporting of both objective stress (life events) and subjective stress (hassles) 10 years later, and how emotionality affected the relation between both objective and subjective stress and mental health. The sample consisted of 1,159 older men, participants in the Normative Aging Study. Path analysis revealed that the reporting of stress was confounded with personality: Individuals higher in emotionality reported both more life events and more hassles. Furthermore, individuals higher in emotionality exhibited slightly higher levels of symptoms under stress than did individuals lower in emotionality. Nonetheless, both stress measures contributed independent variance to the prediction of psychological symptoms, even controlling for prior levels of emotionality. Implications for the assessment of stress are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Longitudinal findings from the normative aging study: 1. Does mental health change with age?

Longitudinal changes in self-reported symptoms were investigated using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) in a sample of 2,041 men. The average man completed 5 CMIs (range = 2-8) over 17 (range = 2-25) years. Using a two-stage growth model, we first regressed symptoms against time on study for each man. The average slope of physical symptoms showed a moderate increase over time, but the average slope of psychological symptoms showed little change. Next, individual differences in change were examined using age at entry as an explanatory variable. Age accounted for 50% of the variance in physical symptoms at entry and 7% of the variance in slopes, but explained neither baseline level nor change in psychological symptoms. Rather, a U-shaped curve described the relation between age and psychological symptom change. These results, in concert with a developmental perspective, may help reconcile conflicting findings on aging and mental health.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Orderly endings: do men know when they will retire?

In order to describe the subjective (as opposed to the statistical) predictability of the retirement event, this study examined the timing of men's retirement relative to their own expectations. On-time and off-time retirements were assessed in a panel of older workers, participants in the VA Normative Aging Study, who were surveyed about work and retirement in 1978, 1981, and 1984. Over spans of two years, 66 percent of workers accurately predicted their eventual date of retirement (+/- 1 year), and 40 percent were exact to within three months. However, approximately one-third of workers did not accurately foresee their date of retirement, having either unfulfilled plans or unanticipated retirements. From a life course perspective, we interpret retirement as an orderly event when two-thirds of a sample can retire as planned. From a practical perspective (e.g., an interest in program development or research design), retirement is not orderly enough when one-third of exits are unscheduled.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Mental health differences among retirees and workers: findings from the Normative Aging Study.

Researchers during the past decade have found little effect of retirement on physical health. However, retirement entails a number of losses, and its effect on mental health, as measured by the prevalence of psychological symptoms, is unclear. We examined psychological symptoms in a sample of 1,513 older men, participants in the Normative Aging Study, using the SCL-90-R (Derogatis, 1983). Analyses of variance indicated that retirees reported more psychological symptoms than did workers, even after controlling for physical health status. Exploratory analyses examining the circumstances of retirement found no effects for length of retirement or part-time employment, but did find effects for the timing of retirement. Both early and late retirees reported more psychological symptoms. Late workers (aged 66 and older) reported the fewest symptoms. Reasons for these findings are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1985

An empirical test for phases of retirement: findings from the Normative Aging Study.

Although gerontologists have shown considerable interest in describing possible phases of retirement, the temporal course of retirement experience remains largely unspecified. This study of 293 male retirees from the Normative Aging Study used cross-sectional data to compare levels of life satisfaction and lesiure activities across 6-month time intervals within the first 3 years after retirement. Regression models were used to test the hypothesis that men retired 0 to 6 months differed from men retired for longer periods. Findings showed that, compared with these recent retirees, men retired 13 to 18 months had lower levels of overall life satisfaction and self-perceived involvement in physical activities. Analyses of the constituents of life satisfaction showed greater optimism and future orientation among recent retirees and a comparative deficit at 13 to 18 months. These findings support an interpretation that the immediate postretirement period is marked by more enthusiasm and that some degree of temporary letdown or dysphoria is likely during the second year of retirement.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1984

Change in blood pressure and total cholesterol with retirement.

This study examines change in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and total serum cholesterol over a three-year span in two groups of men aged 55-74 years at follow-up: 1) 262 men who were working at baseline but retired at follow-up, and 2) 409 age peers who remained employed at both measurement times. Measures were obtained from medical examinations conducted since the early 1970s as part of the prospective Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study in Boston. Regression analyses showed an average increase of 3.44 mmHg in systolic blood pressure, 1.62 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure, and 5.56 mg/dl in cholesterol for retirees compared with workers. The relative increases in the blood pressure variables were statistically significant. However, a logistic regression analysis did not show a greater incidence of hypertension among retirees compared with workers. The odds ratio, standardized for baseline blood pressure, body mass index, and age, was 0.90 (95 per cent confidence interval 0.56-1.45). Among retirees only, analyses of covariance showed that levels of blood pressure and cholesterol were comparable from one six-month interval to the next in the three years preceding and following retirement. Overall, the effects of retirement were not of sufficient magnitude to conclude that retirement had a clinically significant impact on blood pressure or cholesterol.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

The relationship of tar content to decline in pulmonary function in cigarette smokers.

The impact of the tar content of cigarettes on pulmonary function was examined in 1,355 men. These men represented 383 current cigarette smokers, 555 former cigarette smokers, and 417 never smokers enrolled in longitudinal study of aging. Current smokers' cigarette exposure was estimated by the number of cigarettes smoked per day and tar content per cigarette. spirometry was performed twice on all subjects at a 5-yr interval. A multiple regression analysis indicated that tar content did not significantly influence baseline levels of forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), after controlling for age, height, and number of cigarettes smoked. Similarly, tar content did not significantly influence follow-up levels of FVC or FEV1, after controlling for age, height, number of cigarettes, and baseline pulmonary function. These data suggest that low tar cigarettes may not protect smokers from an increased rate of decline in pulmonary function.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Social contexts and motives for drinking in men.

Factor analysis identified nine distinct contextual-motivational factors for drinking in 1517 healthy men. These factors were significant predictors of level of alcohol consumption and discriminated subjects reporting drinking problems from those reporting no problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Smoking cessation in a prospective study of healthy adult males: effects of age, time period, and amount smoked.

The present study examined effects on smoking cessation of three variables-chronological age, time period, and amount smoked-in 637 healthy male smokers aged 22-69 at baseline. Subjects were followed from 1962-1975 using life table procedures. Age was not significantly related to quitting rates (p = .150). The amount smoked effect approached significance (p = .096) with rates of quitting progressively lower at higher consumption levels. Powerful time-period effects were found (p = .008). Incidence rates of quitting increased from 1962-1970, after which a marked decline occurred. (Am J Public Health 1983; 73:446-450.)

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The effect of retirement on physical health.

This prospective study compared pre- to post-retirement changes in physical health among male retirees with changes among age peers who continued to work. The 229 retirees and 409 workers aged 55-73 at follow-up were all participants in the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study. Physical health at baseline and follow-up (three to four years apart) was rated on a four-point scale according to the findings of medical examinations. Although physical health declined generally over time, regression analyses showed no significant difference between eventual retirees and continuing workers on health change, after controlling for age and excluding men who retired due to illness or disability. Among retirees alone, pre- to post-retirement health change was also not significantly associated with several circumstances which purportedly make the retirement transition more stressful, such as mandatory retirement or retirement to a reduced standard of living. The results of this study of physical health, which corroborate those of other studies based on self-reported health measures and mortality data, support the conclusion that the event of retirement does not influence the risk of health deterioration.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Retrospective analysis in smoking cessation research.

The use of retrospective data in smoking research represents possible sources of bias resulting from: (1) baseline incomparability of current, former, and non-smokers, (2) instability of parameters under investigation, and (3) difficulties in recall. A self-report measure of smoking motives was employed in a longitudinal design to examine bias associated with retrospective data analysis. Thirty-six pairs of former smokers and recidivists (smokers who had tried to quit) were matched on age and amount smoked. Although initial responses for both groups were comparable, former smokers were significantly higher on smoking motive factors after quitting compared to recidivists who stayed essentially the same. The findings suggest that mean differences in smoking motives between recidivists and former smokers assessed cross-sectionally may not accurately reflect the magnitude of the differences that existed when both groups were smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The effect of occupational exposure on pulmonary function: a longitudinal evaluation of fire fighters and nonfire fighters.

To examine the chronic effect of fire fighting on pulmonary function, we undertook a longitudinal analysis of 168 fire fighters and 1,474 nonfire fighters enrolled in a study of normal aging. Spirometric measurements (FVC and FEV1) were obtained on all subjects over a 5-yr intake period (1963 to 1968) and these subjects were reexamined 5 yr later (1968 to 1973). Questionnaire information about smoking habits, respiratory symptoms, and illness was also obtained. Fire fighters had a greater loss of pulmonary function (FVC and FEV1) than nonfire fighters (p = 0.007 and p = 0.054). This occupational effect could not be explained by differences in age, height, smoking status, or initial level of pulmonary function between the two occupational groups. Although respiratory symptoms were greater among current cigarette smokers, they were not significantly different between either occupational group. However, fire fighters generally reported more symptoms when smoking was controlled for. These results confirm earlier reports of a chronic effect of fire fighting on pulmonary function and suggest an association of this occupational with increased respiratory symptoms and disease independent of cigarette smoke.

Adult↗