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PubMed2025

Health conditions in adults with atrial fibrillation compared with the general population: a population-based cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) prevalence is rising due to population ageing and comorbidity is an increasing problem. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and association of coexisting health conditions among adults with AF in the general population. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) primary care electronic medical records in England linked to hospital admissions as of 30 November 2015. CPRD is broadly representative of the UK general population in terms of age, sex and ethnicity. We estimated prevalence and used logistic regression examining risk factors of age, sex and socioeconomic status (SES) to compare prevalence of 252 physical and mental health conditions and 23 higher level health condition groups in adults with AF compared with adults without AF. RESULTS: 34 338 adults with AF (57% male; 83% ≥65 years) and 907 739 without AF (49% male; 23% ≥65 years) were identified. Adjusted for age and sex, adults with AF were significantly more likely to have 20/23 (87%) health condition groups than adults without AF. The most prevalent health condition groups in adults with AF were cardiovascular (prevalence of 89% in adults with AF vs 26% in adults without AF, adjusted OR (aOR) 5.82, 95% CI 5.60 to 6.05), gastrointestinal (62% vs 37%, aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.38) and orthopaedic (58% vs 24%, aOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.35). 151/252 individual conditions were significantly more common in adults with AF including cardiovascular conditions such as cardiomyopathy (4.5% vs 0.3%, aOR 9.58, 95% CI 8.88 to 10.35) and heart failure (18% vs 0.7%, aOR 9.07, 95% CI 8.70 to 9.46), and non-cardiovascular conditions such as pleural effusion (16% vs 1.8%, aOR 3.55, 95% CI 3.42 to 3.67) and oesophageal malignancy (0.3% vs 0.0%, aOR 2.14, 95% CI 1.69 to 2.70). Associations were similar after SES adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: While cardiovascular conditions are highly prevalent and strongly associated with AF, a wide spectrum of non-cardiovascular conditions were also strongly associated, requiring a greater understanding of managing comorbid conditions with management principles contradictory to AF.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Conditional release: a less restrictive alternative to hospitalization?

OBJECTIVE: This study examined conditional release--that is, involuntary outpatient commitment orders upon release from hospitalization--as a least restrictive alternative to psychiatric hospitalization in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: Records were obtained from the Victorian Psychiatric Case Register for patients who experienced psychiatric hospitalization: between 1990 and 2000 a total of 8,879 patients were given conditional release and 16,094 were not. RESULTS: Compared with the group that was hospitalized but did not receive a conditional release, the group that received a conditional release was more likely to have more prior hospitalizations of greater than average duration. Patients with schizophrenia were more likely to be given conditional release. Patients given conditional release experienced a care pattern involving briefer inpatient episodes (8.3 fewer days per episode), more inpatient days, and longer duration of restrictive care--that is, combined inpatient and conditional release periods (5.1 more days per month in care). CONCLUSIONS: For patients at risk of long-term hospitalization, conditional release may help to shorten inpatient episodes by providing a least restrictive alternative to continued hospitalization. However, patients who were given conditional release doubled the amount of days they spent under restrictive care, compared with the amount of time they previously spent in the hospital before entering a period of combined inpatient and conditional release commitment. Additional oversight may have led to more frequent hospitalization. This consequence raises new questions regarding the possible benefits of such extended oversight and new challenges for release planning using conditional release as a least restrictive method of care.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

An examination of self-reported chronic conditions and health status in the 2001 Medicare Health Outcomes Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of chronic conditions in managed care-enrolled Medicare seniors (age 65 years plus) and to examine the association between self-reported chronic conditions and health status, as measured by the SF-36. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2001 Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS). The HOS is conducted to assess the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in managed care. The survey questionnaire, which was administered by phone or mail, includes the SF-36 and items addressing demographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, and chronic conditions. The SF-36 produces eight multi-item scale scores and physical and mental component summary scores. For this analysis, an ordinary least squares regression model was conducted using the SF-36 scales and summary scores as dependent variables to estimate the association between each chronic condition and the scale scores after adjusting for demographic variables. RESULTS: More than three-fourths of the respondents had at least one chronic condition. Among the conditions, hypertension (56.6%) arthritis of the hip or knee (39.7%) and arthritis of the hand or wrist (33.3%) were the most commonly reported. Compared with other variables, age and arthritis were most highly associated with the SF-36 measures reflective of physical health. Depressive symptoms had the strongest association with the SF-36 measures most reflective of mental health. Among the chronic conditions, the adverse impact of having difficulty in controlling urination, a relatively neglected condition, was only second to depressive symptoms in its negative relationship with vitality, social-functioning, and mental health. CONCLUSION: Chronic conditions were commonly reported among the older adults. The unique associations found between chronic conditions and domains of health status demonstrate the importance of examining the burden of these conditions in terms of functioning and well-being. The findings of this study may help inform decision making at the patient, health plan, and societal levels.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Genetic covariance between indices of body condition and immunocompetence in a passerine bird.

BACKGROUND: Condition-dependence is a ubiquitous feature of animal life histories and has important implications for both natural and sexual selection. Mate choice, for instance, is typically based on condition-dependent signals. Theory predicts that one reason why condition-dependent signals may be special is that they allow females to scan for genes that confer high parasite resistance. Such explanations require a genetic link between immunocompetence and body condition, but existing evidence is limited to phenotypic associations. It remains unknown, therefore, whether females selecting males with good body condition simply obtain a healthy mate, or if they acquire genes for their offspring that confer high immunocompetence. RESULTS: Here we use a cross-foster experimental design to partition the phenotypic covariance in indices of body condition and immunocompetence into genetic, maternal and environmental effects in a passerine bird, the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. We show that there is significant positive additive genetic covariance between an index of body condition and an index of cell-mediated immune response. In this case, genetic variance in the index of immune response explained 56% of the additive genetic variance in the index of body condition. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that, in the context of sexual selection, females that assess males on the basis of condition-dependent signals may gain genes that confer high immunocompetence for their offspring. More generally, a genetic correlation between indices of body condition and imuunocompetence supports the hypothesis that parasite resistance may be an important target of natural selection. Additional work is now required to test whether genetic covariance exists among other aspects of both condition and immunocompetence.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The European DISABKIDS project: development of seven condition-specific modules to measure health related quality of life in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The European DISABKIDS project aims to enhance the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions and their families. We describe the development of the seven cross-nationally tested condition-specific modules of the European DISABKIDS HRQoL instrument in a population of children and adolescents. The condition-specific modules are intended for use in conjunction with the DISABKIDS chronic generic module. METHODS: Focus groups were used to construct the pilot version of the DISABKIDS condition-specific HRQoL modules for asthma, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and epilepsy. Analyses were conducted on pilot test data in order to construct field test versions of the modules. A series of factor analyses were run, first, to determine potential structures for each condition-specific module, and, secondly, to select a reduced number of items from the pilot test to be included in the field test. Post-field test analyses were conducted to retest the domain structure for the final DISABKIDS condition-specific modules. RESULTS: The DISABKIDS condition-specific modules were tested in a pilot study of 360 respondents, and subsequently in a field test of 1152 respondents in 7 European countries. The final condition-specific modules consist of an 'Impact' domain and an additional domain (e.g. worry, stigma, treatment) with between 10 to 12 items in total. The Cronbach's alpha of the final domains was found to vary from 0.71 to 0.90. CONCLUSION: The condition-specific modules of the DISABKIDS instrument were developed through a step-by-step process including cognitive interview, clinical expertise, factor analysis, correlations and internal consistency. A cross-national pilot and field test were necessary to collect these data. In general, the internal consistency of the domains was satisfactory to high. In future, the DISABKIDS instrument may serve as a useful tool with which to assess HRQoL in children and adolescents with a chronic condition. The condition-specific modules can be used in conjunction with the DISABKIDS chronic generic module.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Mechanisms by which low salt condition increases sensitivity of thyroid stimulating antibody assay.

Mechanisms for high sensitivity in the assay of thyroid stimulating antibody under low salt (NaCl-deprived) hypotonic condition were analyzed using FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells. First, intracellular and extracellular cAMP contents after stimulations with TSH and Graves' immunoglobulin (Ig) were measured under both low salt (hypotonic) and high salt (isotonic) conditions. Higher total and much higher extracellular cAMP production were observed under the low salt condition. Under the high salt condition, the intracellular cAMP content reached a plateau after 10 min, whereas it increased progressively up to 120 min under the low salt condition. Thus, other cellular mechanisms, as well as increase in membrane permeability, seem to be involved in the enhanced response under the low salt condition. On the other hand, pretreatment of the cells with low salt solution without stimulator resulted in a decrease in subsequent cAMP response to TSH or Graves' Ig. Furthermore, [125I]bovine TSH binding to the cells under low salt condition also decreased after the cells were pretreated with the low salt solution. Scatchard analysis revealed that this decrease was due to a decrease in the Cmax of the low affinity binding site of the TSH receptor. Presence of stimulatory ligands to the TSH receptor from the beginning of exposure of the cells to low salt conditions was considered necessary. When the cells had been pretreated at 4 C with stimulator preparations in low salt condition, subsequent incubation at 37 C without stimulator resulted in more cAMP production than the case of high salt pretreatment. Moreover, low salt ligand-free incubation after the high salt binding resulted in higher cAMP production than high salt ligand-free incubation after the low salt binding. Thus, both initial binding and incubation under the low salt condition appear capable of augmenting cAMP production. The fact that the sensitivity of the low salt assay to Graves' Ig was higher than that to bovine TSH was found to relate closely to the increase in initial binding. In conclusion, augmentation of cAMP production under low salt conditions is considered to be related not only to increased ligand binding and increased membrane permeability, but also to some alterations of postreceptor mechanisms during incubation. The proposed postreceptor mechanisms seem to be induced by stimulator binding, which prevents the TSH receptor from damage and promotes intracellular cAMP production progressively. Details of this remain to be elucidated.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Conditioned nicotine withdrawal profoundly decreases the activity of brain reward systems.

Withdrawal from nicotine decreases the activity of brain reward systems, measured in rats by elevations of intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) thresholds. This reward deficit is hypothesized to contribute to the persistence of the tobacco habit in tobacco smokers. Accumulating evidence suggests that aspects of drug withdrawal may become conditioned to previously neutral environmental stimuli via pavlovian conditioning processes. Here we investigated whether hedonically neutral stimuli repeatedly paired with nicotine withdrawal gained "affective valence" such that withdrawal-associated conditioned stimuli alone decreased brain reward function. Nicotine-dependent rats were presented with a light/tone conditioned stimulus and injected with the nicotinic receptor antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DHbetaE; 3 mg/kg) for 4 d consecutively; ICSS thresholds were assessed before and immediately after DHbetaE injection. On the test day, the rats were presented with the conditioned stimulus and injected with saline; next, ICSS thresholds were assessed. During conditioning sessions, DHbetaE elevated reward thresholds, and the magnitude by which thresholds were elevated increased during successive conditioning sessions. These data suggest that withdrawal-associated conditioned stimuli potentiated the magnitude of nicotine withdrawal as their motivational significance increased. Most importantly, on the test day, the conditioned stimulus alone elevated reward thresholds. Similarly, in a separate experiment, withdrawal-associated cues elevated reward thresholds in morphine-dependent rats. These data provide the first empirical verification that conditioned nicotine withdrawal may occur after exposure to withdrawal-paired cues. Moreover, these data demonstrate that withdrawal-paired conditioned stimuli attain negative affective valence and can decrease the activity of brain reward systems, mimicking the reward deficit observed during withdrawal from nicotine and other addictive drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Effects of the State Children's Health Insurance Program Expansions on children with chronic health conditions.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effects of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansions on insurance coverage, use of health care services, and access to care for children with chronic health conditions. METHODS: The primary source of data was the National Health Interview Survey. Children with chronic health conditions were identified primarily through reported diagnoses of common chronic conditions (eg, asthma, attention-deficit disorder, mental retardation, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell disease, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease) and on the presence of activity limitations caused by a health problem lasting at least 12 months. We examined changes in a broad array of outcomes for children with chronic health conditions who gained eligibility under SCHIP or who were already eligible for coverage under Medicaid, comparing the periods before and after implementation of the program. Changes for these treatment groups were compared with children with slightly higher incomes, who should not have been affected by the eligibility expansions. Comparisons were made with adjustment for child, family, and other characteristics that might have independent effects on the outcomes of interest. Outcomes included health insurance coverage, use of general and specialty services, access to care, and out-of-pocket spending on health care. Selected analyses were conducted for children not identified as having chronic health conditions. RESULTS: The SCHIP expansions resulted in a 9.8 percentage point increase in the proportion of children with chronic conditions reporting public insurance and a 6.4 percentage point decline in the proportion uninsured. Unmet need for health care decreased by 8 percentage points, with most of the decline found for dental care. Increases in specialist, eye care, and dental visits and decreases in out-of-pocket spending and emergency-department and mental health visits were observed but did not meet standards of statistical significance. Estimated reductions in unmet need were greater for children with chronic conditions than for other children. CONCLUSIONS: Recent expansions in public insurance eligibility under SCHIP have improved coverage for children with chronic conditions, with selected improvements in access to care. However, some eligible children with chronic conditions remain uninsured, and the impact on access to care and service use were limited. Additional progress may require targeted outreach to children with chronic conditions and improvements in Medicaid and SCHIP service-delivery systems. Given the current fiscal environment and the fact that children with chronic conditions have not generally been protected from cutbacks, the recent progress documented in this study may be reversed.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Optimal gamma-ray dose and irradiation conditions for producing low-molecular-weight chitosan that retains its chemical structure.

This study focuses on the optimal conditions for gamma irradiation to reduce the molecular weight of chitosan but still retain its chemical structure. Chitosan was irradiated under various conditions, i.e. flake solid state (condition 1), flake dispersed in water (condition 2), flake dispersed in 0.05, 0.1, 1 and 2% aqueous K(2)S(2)O(8) solution (conditions 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, respectively), flake dispersed in 0.5, 1 and 2% aqueous H(2)O(2) solution (conditions 4a, 4b and 4c, respectively), and chitosan acetic acid solution (condition 5). Comparative studies were done using three types of chitosans with molecular weights of the order of 10(5) Da with degrees of deacetylation of 0.80, 0.85 and 0.90%. For all conditions, after irradiation, there were two regions of molecular weight reduction. A severe degradation occurred in the first region with decreases in the molecular weight of 80% for radiation doses up to 50 kGy for conditions 1, 2 and 3 (3a-3c) and 20 kGy for condition 4. In the second region, a slow degradation occurred, which resembled a plateau stage. The results for conditions 3d and 5 were the most dramatic, since the primary structure of chitosan was changed after the irradiation. The degradation of chitosan by gamma rays was found to be most effective for the amorphous structure. The retention of the structure of chitosan after gamma irradiation makes it possible to produce a low-molecular-weight chitosan that retains its functionality, as demonstrated by its activity in the coupling reaction with N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed2000

Modulation of evoked cerebral blood flow under excessive blood supply and hyperoxic conditions.

We measured the field potential and local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) using laser-Doppler flowmetry in alpha-chloralose anesthetized rats during activation of the somatosensory cortex by electrical stimulation of the hind paw under independent administration of additional carbon dioxide and oxygen. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the increase in LCBF during activation of the cortex (evoked LCBF) is not directed toward supplying oxygen for oxidative metabolism. Under the hypercapnic condition (PaCO(2) = 74. 9 +/- 14.3 mmHg), the baseline LCBF was about 46.5% higher than that under the normocapnic condition (PaCO(2) = 35.7 +/- 2.1 mmHg) (p < 0. 001), but after normalization for each baseline (divided by the prestimulus level), there was no significant difference in the peak value and the rise time of normalized evoked LCBF. On the other hand, the baseline level of LCBF under the hyperoxic condition (PaO(2) = 479.4 +/- 77.2 mmHg) was about 5.0% lower than that under the normoxic condition (PaO(2) = 105.5 +/- 7.8 mmHg) (p < 0.01), suggesting mild vasoconstriction under the condition of hyperoxia at rest. The peak value of normalized evoked LCBF under the hyperoxic condition was about 6.5% higher than that under the normoxic condition (p < 0.05). In addition, the rise time of evoked LCBF was earlier under the hyperoxic condition (0.37 +/- 0.16 s) than that under the normoxic condition (0.52 +/- 0.12 s) (p < 0.01). The field potential measured during stimulation under hypercapnic and hyperoxic conditions was not significantly different when compared with that under normal gas conditions. These results support our hypothesis and suggest that the excess oxygen is involved in the mechanism underlying the regulation of LCBF.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2000

Effects of pelleting and pellet conditioning temperatures on weanling pig performance.

We conducted two experiments to study the effects of pelleting and pellet conditioning temperature on weanling pig performance. In Exp. 1, 252 weanling pigs (PIC, L326 x C22) averaging 6.0 +/- 1.3 kg and 21 +/- 3 d of age were used to evaluate six corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 15% dried whey and formulated to contain 1.4% lysine. Treatments consisted of a control diet without spray-dried animal protein (SDAP) fed in meal form, a diet with 5% SDAP fed in meal form, and four diets with 5% SDAP that were conditioned at 60, 66, 71, or 77 degrees C for 10 s prior to pelleting. Pellets had a 3.97-mm diameter. The experimental diets were fed from d 0 to 14 after weaning, and all pigs were fed a common diet in meal form from d 14 to 28 after weaning. From d 0 to 7 after weaning, pigs fed diets containing SDAP had greater ADG, gain/feed (P < 0.001), and ADFI (P < 0.05) than pigs fed the control diet. No differences (P > 0.10) were observed between pigs fed the pelleted diets and those fed the SDAP diet in meal form. Conditioning temperature had no effect (P > 0.10) on weanling pig performance from d 0 to 14, and the diet fed from d 0 to 14 had no effect on overall performance (d 0 to 28). In Exp. 2, 252 weanling pigs (6.3 +/- 1.5 kg and 22 +/- 4 d of age) were used to evaluate diets with same composition as in Exp. 1, but treatments consisted of diets with or without SDAP conditioned at 60 degrees C before pelleting, and four diets containing 5% SDAP that were conditioned at 68, 77, 85, and 93 degrees C before pelleting. As in Exp. 1, conditioning lasted 10 s, pellets were 3.97 in mm diameter, and experimental diets were fed for the first 14 d of the 28-d experiment. From d 0 to 7, pigs fed the SDAP diet conditioned at 60 degrees C had greater ADFI (P < 0.05) and tended (P = 0.12) to have greater ADG than pigs fed the diet without SDAP and conditioned at 60 degrees C. From d 0 to 7, ADG (quadratic effect, P < 0.03) and ADFI (linear effect, P < 0.002) decreased as conditioning temperature increased, with the largest decrease observed above 77 degrees C. From d 0 to 14 and 0 to 28, ADG was not affected (P > 0.10) by pellet conditioning temperature or SDAP fed from d 0 to 14. The results of these studies suggest that conditioning diets containing 5% SDAP at temperatures above 77 degrees C decreases weanling pig growth performance.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2001

Test-day genetic analysis of condition score and heart girth in Holstein Friesian cows.

This study aimed to estimate heritability for condition score and heart girth using a test-day model, to investigate the genetic relationships between condition score, heart girth, and milk yield traits and to analyze the genetic relationships of condition score and heart girth measured at different stages of lactation. Cows from 25 dairy herds were scored for body condition and measured for heart girth at 3-mo intervals for 2 yr. Approximately 5000 test-day observations on condition score, heart girth, and milk fat and protein yield from 1344 Italian Friesian cows were analyzed using two approaches: 1) repeated observations for a trait were considered repeated measurements of the same trait; 2) observations for a trait collected in different stages of lactation (dry period, 1 to 75, 76 to 130, 131 to 210, and 211 to 300 DIM) were treated as different traits. (Co)variance components and related parameters were estimated using REML multiple-trait procedures and animal models with unequal design for different traits. Heritability estimates for fat and protein test-day yield and for test-day condition score and heart girth were 0.22, 0.18, 0.29, and 0.33, respectively. Condition score was negatively correlated with yield traits and positively correlated with heart girth, whereas genetic relationships between heart girth and milk yield traits were negligible. Heritability estimates were 0.27 for condition score recorded in the first half of lactation (1 to 75 and 76 to 130 DIM), 0.36 for condition score in the second half of lactation (131 to 210 and 211 to 300 DIM) and 0.32 for condition score recorded on dry cows. Genetic correlations between condition scores measured in different lactation stages were generally high (0.85 or more), with the exception of the relationships between the first and the last stage of lactation (0.74) and between the first half of lactation and the dry period (0.7). Heritability estimates for heart girth in different lactation stages ranged from 0.31 to 0.40, and genetic correlations between high girth measured in different lactation stages were higher than 0.80.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Frequency and precision of body condition scoring in dairy cattle.

The objectives of this project were 1) to determine whether mean body condition scores for 30-d lactation and dry period intervals can be utilized to appraise body condition changes in a herd and 2) to determine the precision of the mean body condition score for 30-d lactation and dry period intervals. Cows in a commercial dairy herd were visually scored for body condition on a five-point scale in increments of .25. Dry period intervals were based on expected calving date; lactation intervals were calculated from the calving date for each cow. The first objective was accomplished by comparison of mean body condition scores for the 30-d lactation and dry period intervals. A Student's t test was used to test for differences between adjacent means for body condition score. Mean body condition scores for each 30-d lactation and dry period interval can be used to detect changes in body condition across stages of lactation and the dry period. The precision of the mean body condition score for each 30-d lactation and dry period interval was determined. Precision (or significance) was 95, 90, and 80%. Significance was 95% for all but one of the lactation and dry period intervals, indicating that mean body condition scores for a given interval are significant and precise. Body condition scoring may provide useful management information with the procedures developed in this study.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1993

Efficiency of visual selection in duplex and conjunction conditions in partial report.

Factors that determine the efficiency of visual selection were investigated in two precued partial-report experiments. There were four selection conditions: a color condition (e.g., selecting purple letters among blue letters), a class condition (e.g., selecting letters among digits), a duplex condition (e.g., selecting purple letters among blue digits; that is, the targets differed from the distractors both in color and in alphanumeric class), and a conjunction condition (e.g., selecting purple letters among blue letters and purple digits; that is, the targets differed from the distractors either in color or in alphanumeric class). The efficiency of visual selection was highest in the duplex condition and lowest in the conjunction condition. The difference in performance across the different selection conditions within subjects was accounted for by variation in the value of a single parameter of the fixed-capacity independent race model (FIRM) proposed by Shibuya and Bundesen (1988), which assumes independent parallel processing, limitations in both processing capacity and storage capacity, and time-invariant selectivity. By assuming that the factors that determine the efficiency of selection in the color and class conditions also underlie the efficiency of selection in the duplex and conjunction conditions, an extension of FIRM, FIRM+, accounted for the relationship with respect to efficiency of selection among the different conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Use of body condition scoring to manage body weight in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a body condition scoring system as a tool to manage body weight in our dog colony. We believe that body condition extremes have a pronounced potential impact on pharmaceutical assessment studies. We selected animals from our colony for participation in a dietary management program based on body condition scoring and body weight. Dietary amount was adjusted according to the current and desired conditions of the animal. Animals were re-evaluated monthly, and diet was adjusted based on the progress the animal was making toward its goal. Retrospective analysis of the data showed that approximately 3 months of enrollment in the dietary management program was required to optimize body condition in our dogs. Nearly twice as many female than male animals were enrolled in the program for weight loss, and they were enrolled at a significantly younger age (784.3 days versus 1063.9 days, respectively, P = 0.02). Nearly six times as many female animals were enrolled for weight loss as weight gain. Conversely, twice as many males than females were enrolled for weight gain, but differences in age for these animals were not significant. There was a significant negative correlation (-0.68, P < 0.01) between age and rate of loss of body condition for female dogs. Body condition scoring was a less sensitive indicator of progress on the program than was body weight, with a 6.5% to 7.2% change in body weight seen for each incremental change in score. It took between 2 and 4 months for the body condition score to change by one increment. Correlations between change in body condition and body weight were poor, except in the group of male animals enrolled for weight loss (0.84, P < 0.01). We conclude that body condition scoring is useful for dietary management of a dog colony within the time frame we have described, with the caveat that correlations between weight change and body condition score change is somewhat variable. Older female dogs offered particular challenges for management of obesity.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Detection of power changes between conditions using split-half resampling of synthetic aperture magnetometry data.

Synthetic Aperture Magnetometry (SAM) measures changes in task-related power using pseudo-t values which are affected by changes in both signal and noise. Detecting significant signal power changes between two separate experimental conditions should not be done directly due to possible fluctuation in the noise as well as the response. This study proposes a method to estimate the noise within a single condition, which is then used to test the null hypothesis of no difference between the conditions. The noise estimation is based on a split-half resampling technique. For each resampling, the data of a given condition is divided into two halves. The difference of the pseudo-t volumes between the pair of the datasets is calculated. After multiple resamplings, the confidence limits of the differences within this single condition are computed for a given p-value so that one can test the null hypotheses that the second condition is within the same distribution as the first. The limits are calculated using a bootstrap technique to correct for any bias in the estimated threshold. Power changes between the two conditions are considered significantly different if the difference of the pseudo-t value is larger than expected within conditions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique, the proposed method was applied to MEG responses to two distinct visual stimuli recorded from a single subject. Major differences of brain activity between the two conditions were found in the occipital region. These results were validated using four pairs of split-half datasets, generated from either the odd or even trials in each condition. The method of split-half resampling should therefore be useful for localizing significant differences in brain activity between conditions within individual subjects.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1997

Prevalence of selected chronic conditions: United States, 1990-1992.

This report presents an update of the prevalence of selected chronic conditions in the United States. Its purpose is to provide prevalence data by age, sex and age, race and age, family income, and geographic region for major chronic condition systems. It further assesses the percent of selected conditions that cause activity limitation, the percent for which a physician was consulted, and the percent that caused hospitalization. Conditions with the highest prevalence and those causing the most disability days are also analyzed. Trends in prevalence rates for the conditions with highest prevalence are examined as well. Information for this report is based on data collected during the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for the years 1990, 1991, and 1992. This is a continuing nationwide survey of households for which a probability sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States is interviewed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census regarding the health and other characteristics of each member of the household. The sample for the years 1990-92 was composed of 142,638 households containing 368,075 persons. Each household was administered one of six of the chronic conditions system lists. Deformities or orthopedic impairments was the most frequent chronic condition reported with almost 35 million conditions. Other conditions high in prevalence were chronic sinusitis, arthritis, and high blood pressure with annual averages of 33.7, 31.8, and 27.6 million conditions, respectively. Mental retardation and multiple sclerosis caused the highest percents of activity limitation among persons afflicted, 87.5 percent and 69.4 percent, respectively. Deformities and other orthopedic impairments, arthritis, and heart disease caused the highest numbers of restricted activity days and bed disability days per year, whereas, malignant neoplasms of the lung, bronchus, and other respiratory sites, caused the highest number of restricted activity days per year, per condition reported, 96.1 days. In little more than a decade, the prevalence rate from asthma has increased almost 50 percent and the rate from chronic bronchitis has increased 46 percent.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A functional analysis of social reinforcement in vicarious verbal conditioning.

This article reports the results of 629 subjects in three experiments designed to replicate and extend the phenomenon of vicarious verbal conditioning. Experiment I replicated the finding that subjects who responded most to vicarious verbal conditioning were aware of the contingency involved. Experiment II attempted to examine the effects of prior history with the verbal reinforcer on vicarious verbal conditioning by providing seven groups of subjects with varying classic conditioning histories prior to vicarious verbal conditioning. The null results associated with this experiment were hypothesized to be due to the fact that the vicarious verbal conditioning took place in a language laboratory where the subjects could hear but not see the model. Experiment III replicated Experiment II in a live group context as was done in Experiment I. The results showed that vicarious verbal conditioning was again found to take place, that associating the verbal reinforcer with a tone or tone plus money via forward classic conditioning potentiated the effects of the verbal reinforcer, that backward classic conditioning did not potentiate the reinforcer, d) nor did either of two sensitization procedures potentiate the effects of the verbal reinforcer. Both aware and unaware subjects evidenced vicarious verbal conditioning.

Adolescent↗