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Biomedical subjects

J S Marks

Publications and source records attributed to J S Marks.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Congenital rubella syndrome in the United States, 1970-1985. On the verge of elimination.

The National Congenital Rubella Syndrome Registry, a passive surveillance system, and the Birth Defects Monitoring Program, a newborn hospital discharge data set, are used to monitor the incidence of congenital rubella syndrome in the United States. Reports to the registry contain clinical and laboratory data which allow cases to be classified into six categories according to the likelihood of having congenital rubella syndrome. The monitoring program records newborn discharge diagnoses, without detailed information, of a nonrandom sample of about one fourth of the births in the United States annually. To evaluate the two systems and to estimate the actual incidence of congenital rubella syndrome, the authors collected hospital discharge summaries on all cases as reported by the monitoring program from 1970-1985 and classified them by the registry criteria. Of the 392 cases reported to the monitoring program during 1970-1985, 24% (n = 93) could be classified as confirmed or compatible compared with 79% (n = 415) of the 526 cases reported to the registry (rate ratio = 3.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.9-3.8). Diagnosis of congenital rubella syndrome was made during the neonatal period for 68% (263 of 389) registry cases for whom such data were available. When the Lincoln-Peterson capture-recapture method of estimating population size for independent surveillance systems was used, an estimated 1,064 confirmed and compatible cases (95% CI 668-1,460) diagnosed during the neonatal period occurred during 1970-1979, for an average of 106 cases per year. During 1980-1985, an estimate of 122 neonatal confirmed and compatible cases (95% CI 8-236) occurred, for an average of 20 cases per year. A downward secular trend in the incidence of congenital rubella syndrome beginning in 1980 was observed. The registry detected 22% of all neonatal confirmed and compatible cases, the monitoring program detected 8%, and the two systems combined detected a total of 28%. The results indicate that congenital rubella syndrome may be on the verge of elimination in the United States.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Growth of vegetarian children: The Farm Study.

To examine the effects of a vegetarian diet on child growth, height and weight data of 404 vegetarian children aged 4 months to 10 years who lived in a collective community in Tennessee were studied. Height for age, weight for age, and weight for height were compared with the US growth reference. Birth weights, infant feeding patterns, and parental heights were also evaluated in relation to growth. Most of the height for age, weight for age, and weight for height (n = 833) were within the 25th and 75th percentiles of the US growth reference. The mean height for age and weight for age, however, were slightly less than the median of the reference population. For different age groups, the mean height ranged from 0.2 to 2.1 cm and the mean weight ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 kg less than the reference median. The largest height difference was observed at 1 to 3 years of age and may be partly the result of intrinsic irregularities in the US growth reference at those ages. By 10 years of age, children from The Farm averaged 0.7 cm and 1.1 kg less than the reference median, representing only 0.1 and 0.3 SD from the reference. Thus, these children have adequate attained growth, even though it was modestly less than that of the reference population.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Pregnancy and birth rates among sexually experienced US teenagers--1974, 1980, and 1983.

We examined pregnancy rates and birth rates among United States teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in 1974, 1980, and 1983. Pregnancy rate refers to live births plus induced abortions per 1000 women; birth rate refers to live births per 1000 women. We present these rates for all teens aged 15 to 19 years and for teens aged 15 to 19 years who were sexually experienced. Data sources included National Center for Health Statistics birth records, Centers for Disease Control abortion surveillance reports, and Bureau of the Census population estimates. Sexual experience estimates came from national surveys of adolescent sexual behavior. Between 1974 and 1980, the pregnancy rate among all teens increased; the pregnancy rate among sexually experienced teens declined. From 1980 to 1983, the pregnancy rate declined among all teens and among sexually experienced teens. Birth rates among US teenagers (all teens and sexually experienced teens) declined between 1974 and 1983. Whereas the decline in the birth rate from 1974 to 1980 was primarily due to increased use of abortion, the decline from 1980 to 1983 related to the decrease in teenage pregnancies.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1987

Malnutrition in the first two years of life. The contribution of low birth weight to population estimates in the United States.

To examine the contribution of low birth weight (LBW) to prevalence estimates of undernutrition as measured by low length-for-age (L/A), we analyzed data on 374554 children under 24 months old from the Centers for Disease Control Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System. Overall, 9.2% of white, 13.4% of black, and 9.2% of Hispanic children weighed less than 2500 g at birth. The mean prevalence of low L/A during the first two years of life was 10.4%, 12.0%, and 11.7% for whites, blacks, and Hispanics, respectively; the mean proportion of L/A less than the fifth percentile attributable to LBW was 28.9%, 27.6%, and 21.3%. Our results demonstrate the need to consider the LBW prevalence in population estimates of malnutrition since 20% to 40% of the prevalence of low L/A in the first two years of life can be attributable to LBW.

Black People↗
PubMed1987

Body composition of Peruvian children with short stature and high weight-for-height. I. Total body-water measurements and their prediction from anthropometric values.

Total body water (TBW) was measured by 18O dilution in 139 undernourished, preschool Peruvian children with high weight-for-height. Values for TBW as a percent of body weight were relatively high, averaging 67.4 +/- 6.4%. Depending upon the method of calculation, mean values for the sample population for percent fat ranged from 9.4-18.5%. Regression of TBW on lean body mass suggested that hydration of the fat-free body was higher than for normally nourished children of comparable age. Thus, the increased weight-for-height in these children did not result from increased fat tissue, but from increased hydration of the fat-free body. TBW was most highly correlated with height and weight, both with r = 0.95. Equations predicting TBW from either height or weight were significantly different from those developed by other investigators to predict TBW for normal, well-nourished American children.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1987

Body composition of Peruvian children with short stature and high weight-for-height. II. Implications for the interpretation for weight-for-height as an indicator of nutritional status.

In some child populations, low height-for-age, suggesting chronic undernutrition, may paradoxically be accompanied by relatively high weight-for-height, suggesting obesity. This growth pattern was investigated with anthropometric assessment and body composition studies using H2(18)O stable isotope dilution in 139 preschool-age Peruvian children. Results suggested low height-for-age (15th percentile National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS]) and high weight-for-height (60th percentile NCHS). Skinfold thicknesses were lower whereas arm muscle areas were more similar to NCHS reference values. Total body water (as percent body weight) was greater than reference values, consistent with lower body fat. Differences in body proportions did not account adequately for the high weight-for-height. The data suggest that the high weight-for-height in these children is not obesity but is associated with lower body fat and greater lean tissue or lean tissue hydration that may reflect dietary, environmental, or genetic influences. Weight-for-height cutoffs for wasting or obesity may require different interpretations for different populations.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Drinking-driving and health lifestyle in the United States: Behavioral Risk Factors Surveys.

National patterns of self-reported drinking-driving were examined using aggregated Behavioral Risk Factor Survey data. Drinking-driving is reported by 6.1% of U.S. adults, is almost three times more prevalent among men than women and is most prevalent in 18-24-year-old men (15.4%). Sociodemographic characteristics of self-reported drinking drivers correspond with those characteristics based on alcohol-associated motor vehicle accident and arrest data. Heavy smokers and those who fail to use seatbelts are more likely to drink and drive than those without these health-risk behaviors. Men reporting stress in interpersonal relationships are more likely to drink and drive. Individuals who drink or smoke in response to stress are more likely to drink and drive than those who exercise in response to stress. The concurrent practice of drinking-driving with lack of seatbelt use, use of alcohol in response to stress and smoking probably contributes substantially to the risk of accident and serious injury among drinking drivers and has implications for both prevention and treatment programs.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1986

Synergistic inhibition of glucagon-induced effects on hepatic glucose metabolism in the presence of insulin and a cAMP antagonist.

Inhibition of hepatic glycogenolysis by an intracellular inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in glucagon-stimulated hepatocytes was potentiated by insulin. When hepatocytes isolated from fed rats were treated with 0.3 nM glucagon, which activates glycogen breakdown half-maximally, the Rp diastereomer of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate [Rp-cAMPS), a cAMP antagonist, inhibited glucose production half-maximally at 3 microM. A 10-fold lower concentration of antagonist was required to half-maximally inhibit glucose production in the presence of 10 nM insulin, which alone produced only 15% inhibition. Under the same experimental conditions, the maximal effect of (Rp)-cAMPS was also potentiated. In addition, the increase in the concentration of glucagon required for half-maximal activation of phosphorylase activity and inactivation of glycogen synthase activity in the presence of minimally effective concentrations of insulin and (Rp)-cAMPS were clearly synergistic. It is postulated that the synergism observed is a consequence of action at several enzymatic sites leading to, and including, alteration of the phosphorylation state of the two rate-limiting enzymes in glycogen metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Synergistic inhibition of hepatic glycogenolysis in the presence of insulin and a cAMP antagonist.

The effects of insulin on the ability of the specific intracellular cAMP-dependent protein kinase antagonist, the Rp diastereomer of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate, to inhibit glycogenolysis induced by the Sp diastereomer was studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed rats. Addition of the cAMP agonist, (Sp)-cAMPS, to hepatocytes resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in glycogenolytic glucose production concomitant with the cAMP-dependent activation of phosphorylase and inhibition of glycogen synthase. Activity curves were shifted to the right in the presence of the cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-cAMPS. Preincubation of the hepatocytes with a maximally effective concentration of insulin did not affect the concentration of (Sp)-cAMPS required for half-maximal activation of phosphorylase but did result in a 10-fold shift in the concentration of (Sp)-cAMPS required for half-maximal inactivation of glycogen synthase. Preincubation of hepatocytes with a combination of the cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-cAMPS, and insulin resulted in synergistic inhibition of (Sp)-cAMPS-induced phosphorylase activation, glycogen synthase inactivation, and glycogenolytic glucose production. Since neither phosphorothioate diastereomer was hydrolyzed significantly during the course of the experiments, the synergistic effects of insulin are postulated to be working through a mechanism subsequent to the phosphodiesterase activation step.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of reactions to food additives: the aspartame experience.

Despite the widespread use of chemical food additives, few criteria exist to evaluate consumer reports of adverse reactions. We analyzed 231 consumer complaints associated with the food additive aspartame. We developed a methodologic approach to evaluate all complaints by adapting general criteria used to investigate adverse reactions to medications. Complaints were ranked according to the effects of cessation and rechallenge. Using this method, we found no clear symptom complex that suggests a widespread public health hazard associated with aspartame use; however, we identified some case reports in which the symptoms may be attributable to aspartame in commonly-consumed amounts. The systematic application of pre-defined review criteria, such as those described here, to monitor consumer complaints related to food additives will help identify products that warrant more focused clinical studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Seasonal differences in breast-feeding in rural Egypt.

Two surveys in Upper and Lower rural Egypt allowed an analysis of the seasonality of infant feeding. The first, including 937 children, was conducted during the relatively cool season of low diarrhea incidence in January-April 1978; the second, including 976 children, took place during the hot season of high diarrhea incidence in August-September 1980. Of infants 6-11 mo old, the proportion exclusively breast-feeding was greater in the hot-season survey (40% vs 16% in Lower Egypt, p less than 0.01; 36% vs 22% in Upper Egypt, p less than 0.01). Of children 12-17 mo old, a higher proportion were completely weaned during the hot season in Lower Egypt only (28% vs 14%, p less than 0.01). This difference was explained by an increase in pregnancy rates during the hot season resulting in less breast-feeding. Seasonal variation must be considered in the interpretation of infant-feeding surveys.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1986

Overweight adults in the United States: the behavioral risk factor surveys.

Using data on 19,405 adults from telephone interviews across the US, 1981-1983, we examined the sociodemographic characteristics, health-risk behaviors, body image, and dieting of overweight adults classified by the 1959 Metropolitan Life Insurance tables for weight and height. By self-report, 23% were overweight vs 29% in 1960-62. This modest decline in overweight remained after age-adjusting the 1981-1983 rate to the 1960 population. In 1981-1983, more blacks and Hispanics than whites were overweight [rate ratio (RR) = 1.43]. After adjustment for age and education, more over- than average-weight adults had uncontrolled hypertension, were binge drinking, and had a sedentary lifestyle. Among overweight men and women, 72% and 52%, respectively, were not dieting. Overweight adults acknowledging they were overweight were dieting more often than those without this perception (RR = 1.53). Results are discussed in light of research documenting weight gain and overweight as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The natural history of Reiter's disease--21 years of observations.

Seventeen patients with Reiter's disease who were included in an earlier prospective study, were reviewed 21 years after their initial episode. Two patients had active synovitis and this correlated with the duration of the initial episode, the extent of the initial synovitis and the peak ESR. In contrast the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis, present in five patients, was unrelated to the duration of the initial episode or the extent of the initial peripheral synovitis but was greatest in those with a higher peak ESR. A comparison of radiological features at the onset and later showed that five patients had developed bilateral sacroiliac joint fusion although two of these had some sclerosis around the sacroiliac joints at the onset. Eight patients had multifocal marginal syndesmophytes which, in four, occurred without sacroiliac changes. Plantar spur formation and hip and shoulder disease were associated with spondylitis while destructive small joint changes were a feature of Reiter's disease itself. Ten patients were HLA B27 positive. The clinical features at onset were unrelated to the B27 type. Sacroiliitis, osteitis pubis, pelvic whiskering and vertebral squaring were only present in B27 positive patients but syndesmophyte formation was unrelated to B27 type.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Factors affecting the sex differential in neonatal mortality: the role of respiratory distress syndrome.

We investigated factors affecting the sex differential in neonatal mortality rate using linked birth and death certificates of more than 300,000 infants born in Georgia between 1974 and 1977. The neonatal mortality rate was higher in male infants than in female infants (relative risk = 1.23, p less than 10(-8)) and was most pronounced for infants weighing between 1501 and 2500 gm (relative risk = 1.78, p less than 10(-8)). This differential persisted after adjustment was made for effects of several prenatal and labor-related factors. The male excess in neonatal mortality rate was most prominent during the first week of life and was found for several perinatal disorders. Respiratory distress syndrome-related mortality showed the largest male excess (relative risk = 1.57, p less than 10(-8)) and was most pronounced in infants weighing between 1501 and 2500 gm (relative risk = 2.78, p less than 10(-8)), in whom it accounted for roughly 60% of the excess. Since previous studies have shown that male infants have a higher incidence of respiratory distress syndrome but not a higher case-fatality rate, we suggest that slower lung maturation among male fetuses is a major contributing factor to the sex differential in neonatal mortality.

Birth Certificates↗