Biomedical subjects

Joan M Dorn

Publications and source records attributed to Joan M Dorn.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Lifetime cumulative exposure to secondhand smoke and risk of myocardial infarction in never smokers: results from the Western New York health study, 1995-2001.

BACKGROUND: Although many epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), few of these studies have assessed exposure measures from different sources over a lifetime. Therefore, we sought to test the association between lifetime cumulative exposure to SHS and risk of myocardial infarction (MI) (as an indication of CHD) among never smokers. METHODS: A population-based case-control study in which participants were 1541 never smokers (284 cases and 1257 controls) drawn from 1197 women and men with incident MI and 2850 healthy controls (aged 35-70 years) identified from 2 Western New York counties between 1995 and 2001. Study subjects were asked to report their exposure to SHS at home, at work, and in public settings from childhood to their present age. Exposure histories from each source were combined to form a cumulative lifetime exposure measure. Multiple logistic regression analysis estimated the association between SHS exposure and case status adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, race, drinking status, lifetime physical activity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia. RESULTS: After adjustment for covariates, exposure to SHS was not significantly associated with an increased risk of MI. Compared with participants in the bottom tertile of SHS exposure, those in the top tertile had an odds ratio of 1.19 [95% confidence interval, 0.78-1.82] for MI. Virtually all subjects reported some exposure to SHS over their lifetime, but self-reported exposures declined over time, especially in the period closest to the interview. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to SHS has declined sharply among nonsmokers in recent years. In the absence of high levels of recent exposure to SHS, cumulative lifetime exposure to SHS may not be as important a risk factor for MI as previously thought.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity in children.

OBJECTIVES: Youth with better motor abilities may find it easier to be physically active and may be more likely to engage in physical activity compared with peers with poorer motor competence. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity in 8- to 10-year-old children. Self-efficacy toward physical activity was also assessed. METHODS: Sixty-five children (34 girls and 31 boys) were studied. Children's physical activity was assessed by the Manufacturing Technologies Incorporated/Computer Science and Applications Incorporated model 7164 accelerometer, and their motor proficiency was determined by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The Children's Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity scale measured children's self-perceptions of adequacy in performing and desire to participate in physical activities. RESULTS: Children's motor proficiency was positively associated with activity counts and percentage of time in moderate and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity and inversely related to percentage of time in sedentary activity. Children in the greatest quartile of motor proficiency were the most physically active compared with children with lower levels of motor proficiency who had similar levels of physical activity. Children with greater standardized BMI were less physically active, more sedentary, and had poorer motor proficiency compared with children with a lower standardized BMI. Children's Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity scores were positively associated with Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency standard score for boys. Children's motor proficiency explained an additional 8.7% of the variance in physical activity in multiple linear regression after controlling for factors that may influence physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Motor proficiency is positively associated with physical activity and inversely associated with sedentary activity in children, but there may be a threshold of motor proficiency above which children may be the most physically active. Children's motor proficiency may be an appropriate target for increasing physical activity in youth.

Child↗

PubMed2005

Body fat distribution, liver enzymes, and risk of hypertension: evidence from the Western New York Study.

Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) has been associated with hypertension (HTN); however, the nature of this association remains unclear. GGT is a marker of alcohol consumption, but it is also related to the infiltration of fat in the liver (fatty liver). The association between GGT and HTN was examined in a 6-year longitudinal investigation among 1455 men and women who returned for the follow-up visit. Baseline variables included serum GGT, blood pressure, and anthropometric measures. Incident HTN was defined as blood pressure > or =140/90 or on antihypertensive medication at the follow-up visit. To eliminate individuals with potential liver pathology, analyses focused only on individuals with GGT within its normal range (n=897). Participants were divided in quintiles (Q) based on their baseline GGT levels. Multiple logistic regression analyses [odds ratio (95% confidence intervals)] revealed a significant association of GGT with incident hypertension [2.1 (1.1 to 4.0) Q5 versus Q1]. In subgroup analyses, GGT and HTN were significantly associated among both noncurrent and current drinkers, but only for participants above the median of anthropometric measures [eg, body mass index >26.4, 2.3 (0.9 to 5.7), waist circumference >86.1 cm, 3.7 (1.4 to 9.9), and abdominal height >19.8 cm, 3.1 (1.2 to 8.5), for Q5 versus Q1, in fully adjusted models]. These findings suggest that the association between GGT and hypertension is not caused solely by alcohol consumption and indicate that serum GGT, within its normal range, may predict hypertension among individuals with increased central fat distribution, suggesting that fatty liver may represent an important underlying mechanism for this association.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Kinetic changes with fatigue and relationship to injury in female runners.

PURPOSE: This research examined how ground reaction forces (GRF) changed with fatigue induced by an exhaustive treadmill run in female runners. A separate retrospective and prospective analysis correlated initial magnitude of GRF and fatigue-induced changes in GRF with lower-extremity injury. METHODS: Ninety adult female runners had vertical GRF measured before and after an exhaustive treadmill run. Subjects initially were questioned about previous running injuries, and were contacted during the following year and asked to report any additional running injuries. RESULTS: Fatigue induced by the exhaustive treadmill run resulted in decreased impact peak and loading rates in all runners by an average of 6 and 11%, respectively. The changes in GRF were attributed to altered running cadence, step length, and lower-extremity joint kinematics. It is unclear whether these changes were attempts by the runners to minimize impact forces and protect against injury, or represented a fatigue-induced loss of optimal performance capabilities. An interaction between injury in the previous year and change in impact loading rate with fatigue was observed, suggesting previously injured runners are exposed to relatively higher impact forces over time. CONCLUSION: Habitual female runners appear to adapt their running style with fatigue, resulting in altered GRF. Changes in GRF with fatigue may be associated with lower-extremity running injuries.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Relationship of alcohol drinking pattern to risk of hypertension: a population-based study.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between heavy alcohol use and hypertension, but few studies have directly addressed the role of drinking pattern. This study was designed to investigate the association of current alcohol consumption and aspects of drinking pattern with hypertension risk in a sample of 2609 white men and women from western New York, aged 35 to 80 years, and free from other cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension was defined by systolic blood pressure > or =140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > or =90 mm Hg or use of antihypertensive medication. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were computed after adjustment for several covariates. Compared with lifetime abstainers, participants reporting drinking on a daily basis (1.75 [1.13 to 2.72]) or mostly without food (1.64 [1.08 to 2.51]) exhibited significantly higher risk of hypertension. When analyses were restricted to current drinkers, daily drinkers and participants consuming alcohol without food exhibited a significantly higher risk of hypertension compared with those drinking less than weekly (1.65 [1.18 to 2.30]) and those drinking mostly with food (1.49 [1.10 to 2.00]), respectively. After additional adjustment for the amount of alcohol consumed in the past 30 days, the results were follows: 0.90 (0.58 to 1.41) for daily drinkers and 1.41 (1.04 to 1.91) for drinkers without food. For predominant beverage preference, no consistent association with hypertension risk was found across the various types of beverages considered (beer, wine, and liquor). In conclusion, drinking outside meals appears to have a significant effect on hypertension risk independent of the amount of alcohol consumed.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Body fat distribution, relative weight, and liver enzyme levels: a population-based study.

Regional body fat distribution may represent an independent risk factor for several conditions, especially metabolic and cardiovascular diseases; recent findings have shown that abdominal fat accumulation can be an independent predictor of hepatic steatosis. Very few studies, mostly using selected clinical samples, have focused on the relationship between indices of abdominal visceral fat accumulation and the most commonly used biochemical liver tests, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relation between central fat accumulation, as assessed by abdominal height, relative weight, as determined by body mass index (BMI), and liver function tests (ALT, AST, and GGT) in a random sample of 2,704 residents of Erie and Niagara Counties in New York State, 35-80 years of age and free from known hepatic disease. Multiple linear regression models were used, with liver enzymes as dependent variables with abdominal height and BMI as independent variables, and the inclusion of several covariates (age, race, education, smoking status, pack-years of smoking, drinking status, and total ounces of ethanol in the past 30 days). Abdominal height was consistently a better correlate of ALT and GGT levels than BMI in both sexes. In addition, abdominal height was the most powerful independent predictor of ALT in both sexes as well as of GGT among women. In conclusion, these findings support a role for central adiposity independent from BMI in predicting increased levels of hepatic enzymes, likely as a result of unrecognized fatty liver.

Abdomen↗

PubMed2003

Alcohol drinking patterns differentially affect central adiposity as measured by abdominal height in women and men.

Alcohol drinking in light-to-moderate amounts has been associated with reduced coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. However, there is evidence that the way people consume alcohol (drinking pattern) may affect risk. Central adiposity, a known CHD risk factor may be one mechanism in the pathway between alcohol consumption and CHD risk. Our study examined whether various drinking patterns differentially affect fat distribution, particularly abdominal fat in women and men. In a randomly selected population-based cohort (n = 2343), 35-79 y old, we assessed drinking pattern as reported for the past 30 d, including beverage type and amount, frequency of consumption, percentage of time drinking while eating and number of drinks consumed/drinking day. Central adiposity was determined using an abdominal caliper to measure supine height of the abdomen. Current drinkers tended to have smaller abdominal heights than nondrinkers (women, P < 0.0001; men, P = 0.0559). For drinking pattern, frequency was inversely associated, but drinking intensity (drinks/drinking day) was positively associated with central adiposity in women (P trend for frequency, 0.0007; intensity, 0.0010) and men (P trend for frequency, 0.0005; intensity, 0.0004), even when age, education, physical activity, smoking status and amount of alcohol (g) were included in the models. When frequency and intensity were considered together, daily drinkers of <1 drink/drinking day had the smallest mean abdominal height measures with the largest measures in less than weekly drinkers who consumed 4 or more drinks/drinking day. These results support the hypothesis that drinking pattern affects the distribution of body fat, an important CHD risk factor.

Abdomen↗

PubMed2003

Is total out-of-hospital time a significant predictor of trauma patient mortality?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is an association between total out-of-hospital time and trauma patient mortality. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of a convenience sample of consecutive medical records for all admitted patients transported by helicopter or ambulance from the scene of injury to the regional trauma center. Descriptive and univariate analyses were conducted to determine which variables were associated with patient mortality and total out-of-hospital time. Multiple predictors logistic regression was used to determine if total out-of-hospital time was associated with trauma patient outcome, while controlling for the variables associated with trauma patient mortality. RESULTS: Of the 2,925 patients who were transported from the scene, 1,877 met the inclusion criteria. Six percent (116) did not survive. The multiple predictors model included CUPS (critical, unstable, potentially unstable, stable) status, patient age, Injury Severity Score, Revised Trauma Score, and total out-of-hospital time as predictors of mortality. Total out-of-hospital time (odds ratio 0.987; p = 0.092) was the only variable not found to be a significant predictor of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Provider-assigned CUPS status, patient age, Injury Severity Score, and Revised Trauma Score all were significant predictors of trauma patient mortality. Total out-of-hospital time was not associated with mortality.

Adolescent↗