Biomedical subjects

T Rice

Publications and source records attributed to T Rice.

212 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Familial resemblance for physique: heritabilities for somatotype components.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To examine familial resemblance in the Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype in a sample of 328 participants from 103 nuclear families in Northern Ontario (Canada). METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The three somatotype components (endomorphy, mesomorphy, ectomorphy) were subjected to principal components analysis and the resulting first principal component (PCI) was used as an additional index of physique. The four phenotypes were adjusted for age, sex and generation effects, while each of the three somatotype components was further adjusted for the effects of the other two components using regression procedures. A familial correlation model was fit to the data and used to estimate the degree of familial resemblance in somatotype. MAIN OUTCOME AND RESULTS: For all somatotype variables, the most parsimonious model was one in which there was no spouse resemblance and no sex or generation effects in the familial correlations. Maximal heritabilities were 56%, 68%, 56% and 64% for endomorphy, mesomorphy, ectomorphy and PCI, respectively, indicating significant familial resemblance for the Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype. Further, the pattern of familial correlations suggests the role of genetic factors in explaining variation in human physique. CONCLUSIONS: In general, a pattern of no spouse but significant parent-child correlations implicates the role of genes on human physique, provided that mating is random with regard to these traits.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Familial resemblance for hostility: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether several aspects of hostility as measured by the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (ie, aggressive responding, hostile affect, cynicism, and overall hostility score) were determined in part by family factors (ie, genes and/or familial environments). METHODS: Analyses were based on 680 European-American families (2525 individuals) from the NHLBI Family Heart Study (FHS), a population-based study of genetic and nongenetic determinants of CHD, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular risk factors. The influence of family relationships, age, and education on the variation in each of the four hostility scores were estimated. RESULTS: Significant familial resemblance in all hostility scores was found, accounting for 42% of the variance in total hostility, 30% in cynicism, 38% in aggressive responding, and 18% in hostile affect. Very little of this resemblance could be explained by similarities in education. Familial resemblance for cynicism was solely due to significant parent-offspring and sibling correlations (ie, no spouse resemblance), suggesting the possibility of genetic influences. Gender and generation differences were also evident in the familial correlations. CONCLUSIONS: Hostility aggregates in families. Both family environmental and genetic sources of resemblance are suggested for hostility.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Should Medicare HMO benefits be standardized?

Legislation enacted in 1990 standardized Medigap benefits but not the benefits of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that serve Medicare beneficiaries. An examination of marketing materials in two large counties reveals the potential for enormous confusion among beneficiaries because of differences in wording to describe the same benefit, health plans' failure to list Medicare-covered services, and the differences in the benefits themselves. To date, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has not been able to overcome this confusion through the comparative material distributed on its Web site; indeed, significant errors were found, reflecting to some extent the underlying difficulties in characterizing benefits. Ways of ameliorating the situation are discussed.

Health Maintenance Organizations↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Socioeconomic differences in Medicare supplemental coverage.

In this study we compare the beneficiaries with various types of Medicare supplemental insurance coverage to examine the impact of socioeconomic characteristics on such coverage. We found that those who are more disadvantaged are less likely to have any coverage, and those who have it are less likely to have it subsidized by a former employer. These findings have direct implications for the fairness of proposed programs to provide prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries, and for the advisability of various proposals for reforming Medicare, including "premium-support" programs.

Drug Prescriptions↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bullectomies for bullous sarcoidosis.

A 36-year-old woman presented with respiratory insufficiency due to cystic sarcoidosis. She had been previously treated with multiple courses of prednisone without improvement. Enlarging blebs involving both lower lobes impaired the function of the relatively spared upper lobes. Bilateral lower lobectomies were performed in one step via median sternotomy without complications, with prompt subjective and objective improvement of her respiratory status. One-stage bilateral upper-lobe bullectomy for bullous emphysema has been previously reported, but to our knowledge this is the first performance of one-stage bilateral lower-lobe bullectomies for cystic sarcoidosis. The immediate benefits were evident; long-term results will depend on the course of the underlying disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Is managed competition a field of dreams?

In recent months, managed competition has gained the upper hand in the debate over how to reform the U.S. health system and likely will be a part of President-elect Clinton's proposal. But recent data reveal that managed care plans, an important piece of the managed competition approach, have not significantly altered the rate of increase in costs. These findings cast doubt on the assumption by managed competition advocates that the proper incentives exist to cause the health delivery system to reorganize itself.

Community Participation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Familial resemblance for coronary heart disease risk: the HERITAGE Family Study.

The objective of this study was to quantify familial resemblance for coronary heart disease risk in 260 Black and 427 White participants in the HERITAGE Family Study. Coronary heart disease risk was estimated using a coronary heart disease risk index (CHDRI) computed from the revised Framingham Heart Study algorithm, based on age, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking status. Using a familial correlation model to test hypotheses regarding familial aggregation, significant familial resemblance was detected in both Blacks and Whites. There were significant sibling correlations in both Blacks and Whites, while spouse correlations were significant only in the White sample. The maximal heritabilities, which have to be interpreted cautiously in light of negligible parent-offspring correlations, were 34% and 53% in Whites and Blacks, respectively. Thus, the maximal heritability, which includes both genetic and non-genetic sources of variation, is higher in Blacks than Whites, and explains a significant proportion of the total phenotypic variance. The results indicate that risk of coronary heart disease runs along family lines, and common environmental effects are important in explaining the observed familial resemblance.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied