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Biomedical subjects

C H Adams

Publications and source records attributed to C H Adams.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Development and validation of a screening tool to identify eating disorders in female athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a screening tool to identify eating pathology in women athletes. DESIGN: Three cross-sectional subject groups were established: college women athletes diagnosed with eating disorders; college women athletes without eating pathology; college women who did not participate in athletics but were diagnosed with an eating disorder. The Female Athlete Screening Tool (FAST), and 3 valid psychometric measures were administered to subjects in all groups. Internal reliability, discriminant and concurrent validity were established. SUBJECTS/SETTINGS: Women college students between the ages of 18 and 23 years (n=41) from the University of Connecticut and St Joseph College were recruited. The athletes were screened for eating disorders by a sports medicine team. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Cronbach's alpha, one-way analysis of variance, and correlation analyses. RESULTS: Reliability analysis indicated a high internal consistency of the FAST (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87). Athletes with eating disorders scored significantly higher on the FAST as compared with athletes without eating pathology and nonathletes with eating disorders (P<.001), which demonstrated discriminant validity. Correlation analyses showed that the FAST was strongly correlated to the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (0.60, P<.05) and Eating Disorder Inventory (0.89, P<.001). APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Early detection of eating disorders can help prevent the onset or severity of a clinical eating disorder. By using the screening tool that has been validated for use in women athletes, dietetic professionals can quickly identify those athletes who need assistance with their aberrant eating habits.

Adolescent↗

Are eating disorders more prevalent in females with type 1 diabetes mellitus when the impact of insulin omission is considered?

Although prevalence estimates vary in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, studies suggest the occurrence of eating disorders is comparable between women with and without diabetes mellitus. A new study examined the association between eating disorders and type 1 diabetes mellitus in 12-19-year-old females with diabetes for at least 1 year. Subjects with diabetes were 2.4 times more likely than controls (without diabetes) to have a clinical eating disorder and 1.9 times more likely to have a subthreshold eating disorder. Moreover, mean glycosylated hemoglobin was higher in subjects with diabetes who had an eating disorder (9.4%) compared with those with diabetes without an eating disorder (8.6%).

Adolescent↗

Women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) complicated by eating disorders are at risk for exacerbated alterations in lipid metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: To examine lipid parameters that are affected in women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) who engaged in disordered eating behaviours. DESIGN: Randomized, unmatched. SETTING: Tertiary care. SUBJECTS: Ninety women (18-46 y) with IDDM. INTERVENTIONS: Classification of subjects based on severity of eating disorder: clinical (n = 14), subclinical (n = 13) and control (n = 63). Blood was analysed for glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and serum for triglycerides and cholesterol. Carotenoid and tocopherol concentrations were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Dietary intake was assessed by the National Cancer Institute food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: HbA1c was significantly increased im women demonstrating clinical and subclinical symptoms compared to control (10.4 +/- 2.6, 10.0 +/- 1.5 and 8.3 +/- 1.6%, respectively, P < 0.05). Triglycerides concentrations were significantly increased in women with subclinical eating disorders compared to controls. In women who intentionally omitted or reduced insulin, triglyceride cholesterol and HbA1c were significantly increased compared to controls. Women with IDDM and eating disorders who exhibited bulimic behaviours consumed significantly more energy, total fat and cholesterol compared to controls and women with eating disorders who were restrained eaters. CONCLUSION: While IDDM is known to perturb lipid metabolism, these data demonstrate that eating disorders, in combination with IDDM, results in additional alterations in lipid metabolism.

Adolescent↗

Subclinical and clinical eating disorders in IDDM negatively affect metabolic control.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the relationship of subclinical and clinical eating disorders to HbA1c values in women with IDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Ninety women with IDDM (18-46 years of age) were recruited from diabetes clinics throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts. Subjects were categorized into one of three groups according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) criteria for eating disorders as follows: the clinical group (n = 14), the subclinical group (partially fulfilling the diagnostic criteria; n = 13), and the control group (n = 63). Group differences in the degree of dietary restraint, binge eating, and bulimic behaviors and weight, shape, and eating concerns were assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) and the Bulimia Test Revised (BULIT-R). RESULTS: Women with subclinical and clinical eating disorders had clinically elevated HbA1c results and more diabetes-related complications, compared with the control subjects. The severity of bulimic behaviors, weight concerns, reduced BMI, and decreased frequency of blood glucose monitoring were associated with elevated HbA1c. CONCLUSIONS: HbA1c may have clinical utility in the identification of eating disorder behavior in females with IDDM. Health care professionals should be aware of the potent effect of subclinical and clinical eating behaviors including insulin misuse in weight-conscious women with IDDM who have poor glycemic control.

Adolescent↗

The relationship of obesity to the frequency of pelvic examinations: do physician and patient attitudes make a difference?

Obese women are at higher risk for the development of both endometrial and ovarian carcinoma. Biochemical mechanisms represent documented causal factors but the role of psycho-social attitudes has received limited attention. This study examined the difference in the frequency of pelvic screening examinations between obese and non-obese women and the effect of physician and patient attitudes toward obesity on examination frequency. A total of 291 women subjects and 1316 physician subjects participated in this study. Data reported in this paper suggest that attitudes and behaviors are negatively influenced by weight. As subjects' weight went up, negative opinions about their appearance and reluctance to obtain pelvic examinations also increased while the likelihood of having annual pelvic examinations decreased. A substantial minority (17%) and an overwhelming majority (83%) of physicians indicated they were reluctant to perform pelvic examinations on obese and reluctant patients respectively. If physicians are more reluctant to perform pelvic examinations on obese and reluctant women and obese women are more reluctant to be examined, there may be a critical delay in detecting adenocarcinomas of the female genital tract.

Adult↗

Sex-role orientation and psychological adjustment: comparison of MMPI profiles among college women and housewives.

Androgynous, masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated women, as determined by the Bern Sex Role Inventory, were compared on the three validity and ten clinical scales of the MMPI. Two samples of women were included: Female college students and a group of upper middle-class suburban housewives. No significant differences emerged in the housewife sample. Among college women, androgynous and masculine women did not differ in adjustment, and both groups were better adjusted (i.e., less depressed, anxious, tense, and less socially introverted) than the undifferentiated women. A cross-validation study with a comparable student sample essentially replicated the results of the first study. Rather than supporting Bem's (1974) hypothesis of better psychological adjustment in androgynous persons, results were interpreted as providing support for the notion that masculinity is associated with equally good adjustment as androgyny in college women.

Journal Article↗

Toxicity of combustion products from burning polymers: development and evaluation of methods.

Laboratory and room-scale experiments were conducted with natural and synthetic polymers: cotton, paper, wood, wool, acetate, acrylic, nylon, and urethane. Smoke and off-gases from single materials were generated in a dual-compartment 110-liter exposure chamber. Multicomponent, composite fuel loads were burned within a 100 m(3) facility subdivided into rooms. In chamber experiments, mortality depended on the amount of material burned, i.e., fuel consumption (FC). Conventional dose (FC)/mortality curves were obtained, and the amount of fuel required to produce 50% mortality (FC(50)) was calculated. With simple flame ignition, cotton was the only material that produced smoke concentrations lethal to rats; FC(50) values for cotton ranged from 2 g to 9 g, depending on the configuration of the cotton sample burned. When supplemental conductive heat was added to flame ignition, the following FC(50) values were obtained; nylon, 7 g; acrylic, 8 g; newsprint, 9 g; cotton, 10 g; and wood, 11 g. Mortality resulting from any given material depended upon the specific conditions employed for its thermal decomposition. Toxicity of off-gasses from pyrolysis of phosphorus-containing trimethylol propane-polyurethane foams was markedly decreased by addition of a flame ignition source. Further studies are needed to determine the possible relevance of single-material laboratory scale smoke toxicity experiments. Room-scale burns were conducted to assess the relative contributions of single materials to toxicity of smoke produced by a multicomponent self-perpetuating fire. Preliminary results suggest that this approach permits a realistic evaluation of the contribution of single materials to the toxicity of smoke from residential fires.

Animals↗

Developing staff nurse experts in nursing diagnosis-based care planning.

In this article, the authors describe the Program to Increase Nursing Knowledge and Facilitate the Utilization of Nursing Diagnosis (PINK FUND) undertaken at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals. The program prepared unit-based nurses to be facilitators for nursing diagnosis-based care planning. Major curriculum threads included theory of nursing diagnosis, planned change, and adult learning. Instructors modeled innovative instructional methodologies for participants. Program planners vigorously marketed the program to nurses within the institution. The program succeeded in preparing nurses to use the nursing process to deliver planned care. The program description will serve as a potential model for staff development educators seeking to increase staff competence in nursing care planning and documentation.

Adult↗