Biomedical subjects

R H Rahe

Publications and source records attributed to R H Rahe.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1976

Serum uric acid, cholesterol, and psychological moods throughout stressful naval training.

Navy recruits, all 51 volunteers for a preliminary underwater demolition team (UDT) training program, were followed through 4 weeks of training; 27 men passed and 24 failed the training course. Serum uric acid and serum cholesterol levels, as well as psychological moods data were collected on all volunteers at the start of training and at the end of each of the four training weeks. Men who passed training were compared to those who failed. In addition, these same measures were carried out with a control group of 66 naval recruits. Pre-UDT trainees who passed the program demonstrated high levels of positive moods, early peaks in serum uric acid level, and stable serum cholesterol levels throughout training. These findings supported previous work with successful UDT trainees. Pre-UDT trainees who failed the program demonstrated intermediate levels of positive moods, a midtraining period peak in serum uric acid, and a significant rise in serum cholesterol during the final 2 weeks of the course. The serum cholesterol rise seen during a period shortly prior to failure substantiates previous findings. A comparison group showed low levels of positive moods, an initial peak in serum uric acid, and stable serum cholesterol levels. Two mood scales had siginificant correlations with serum uric acid for only men who passed training. A motivation scale, given at the start of training, correlated with serum uric acid levels for men who failed training.

Cholesterol↗

PubMed1975

Liaison psychiatry on a coronary care unit.

This paper presents several of the author's experiences as a liaison psychiatrist on coronary care units. Technological and pharmacological advancements over the past decade have made major contributions toward reducing the psychological stress of patients admitted to these units. The psychiatrist's main liaison role is in assisting with patient education and rehabilitation efforts. Examples are given of a patient education program and reasons for systematic evaluations for such programs. The psychiatrist also can aid in patient rehabilitation efforts carried out in the outpatient clinic. Results are given from an experimental program of group therapy as an adjunct to the treatment of post-myocardial infarction patients. Finally, two case histories are briefly presented which exemplify subjects' serum uric acid and serum cholesterol variability associated with psychological stresses encountered during their hospitalization following a myocardial infarction.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1975

Epidemiological studies of life change and illness.

Currently popular methodologies in life changes and illness research are presented in some detail. Selected examples of epidemiological studies utilizing these methodololgies are briefly reviewed. Examples of both retrospective and prospective investigations of life change and illness are given. Discussed in the chapter are the author's views as to limitations of the epidemiologic method and probable directions of future research in efforts to clarify etiologic mechanisms along the pathway between subjects' recent life changes and their subsequent susceptibility to illness.

Coronary Disease↗

PubMed1975

Brief group therapy following myocardial infarction: eighteen-month follow-up of a controlled trial.

Sixty post-myocardial infarction (MI) subjects have been followed for up to eighteen months' time following their MI. Thirty-eight of these subjects completed a brief series of four to six group therapy sessions during their early rehabilitation phase; the others received no group therapy. Both groups were placed on otherwise identical schedules of outpatient follow-up. Group therapy patients have, to date, experienced significantly fewer cardiac complications than controls. Only one death has occurred, and that one patient was in the control group. A coronary heart disease teaching evaluation questionnaire was given to a sample of group therapy patients, a sample of controls, and a comparison group of men without MI. Following their group therapy sessions, these men demonstrated significantly greater knowledge of their disease and its optimal rehabilitation than did control or comparison subjects. Control patients' questionnaire results proved to be insignificantly different from those of the comparison group.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Swim performance decrement over middle life.

Swim records data from the U.S. Masters swim program afforded a chance to estimate the decline in swim performance over middle life. Men's records data indicated a falloff in swim performance of slightly less than one percent per year over the ages of 27.5 to 57.5 years. Men's decline in freestyle performance was seen to be essentially the same, regardless of varying oxygen requirements secondary to the distance swum. Men's decline in swim performance for the breaststroke and backstroke events was nearly that of the freestyle. Falloff in men's performance in the butterfly stroke rose to 1.47 percent per year. Women's times showed a decline between 20 to 50 percent greater than that seen for the men. Previous findings of athletes' decrease in pulmonary function over middle age closely parallel the observed decrease in Masters swimmers' records--approximately one percent per year.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Effects of stressful underwater demolition training on body structure.

Antropometric measurements and Heath-Carter somatotype ratings were made on 32 subjects upon entry into a U.S. Navy underwriter demolition team training program. Twenty subjects successfully completed the 4-month program and were remeasured. Comparisons were made between initial and final scores for those completing training, and between initial scores for trainees who successfully completed the program and scores for those men who dropped from training, for the following variables: somatotype as a whole, three somatoptype components, height, weight, height/weight.33, sum of skinfolds, arm and calf girths, and bone breadths. No differences were seen between successful and unsuccessful trainees, on any variable, when results from the pre-training measurements were compared. Successful trainees did not change in height or bone breadths, but showed decreased skinfolds and height/weight.33, along with increased weight and girths. Successful trainees' somatotypes changed, with a decrease in endomorphy and ectomorphy, and an increase in mesomorphy.

Adult↗

PubMed1974