Biomedical subjects

M Mungiole

Publications and source records attributed to M Mungiole.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Application of a weighted head-banging algorithm to mortality data maps.

Smoothed data maps permit the reader to identify general spatial trends by removing the background noise of random variability often present in raw data. To smooth mortality data from 798 small areas comprising the contiguous United States, we extended the head-banging algorithm to allow for differential weighting of the values to be smoothed. Actual and simulated data sets were used to determine how head-banging smoothed spike and edge features in the data, and to observe the degree to which weighting affected the results. As expected, spikes were generally removed while edges and clusters of high rates near the U.S. borders were maintained by the unweighted head-banging algorithm. Incorporating weights inversely proportional to standard errors had a substantial effect on smoothed data, for example determining whether observed spikes were retained or removed. The process used to obtain the smoothed data, including the choice of head-banging parameters, is discussed. Results are considered in the context of general spatial trends. Published in 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the United States.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1999

Exploring spatial patterns of mortality: the new atlas of United States mortality.

The National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, has produced an Atlas of United States Mortality which includes maps of rates for the leading causes of death in the United States for the period 1988-1992. As part of this project, many aspects of statistical mapping have been re-examined to maximize the atlas's effectiveness in conveying accurate mortality patterns to epidemiologists and public health practitioners. Because recent cognitive research demonstrated that no one map style is optimal for answering many different map questions, maps and graphs of several different mortality statistics are included for each cause of death. New mixed effects models were developed to provide predicted rates and improved variance estimates. Results from these models were smoothed using a weighted head-banging algorithm to produce maps of general spatial trends free of background noise. Maps of White female lung cancer rates from the new atlas are presented here to illustrate how this innovative combination of maps and graphs permits greater exploration of the underlying mortality data than is possible from previous single-map atlas designs. Published in 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the United States.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Geographic variation in stroke mortality in blacks and whites in the United States.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We sought to determine whether the "Stroke Belt" has continued to shift and to assess variation in geographic patterns by age, sex, and race. METHODS: Mortality data for Health Service Areas for 1988 to 1992 were used for analyses of geographic mortality patterns for stroke by race, sex, and age (50, 70, and 90 years). RESULTS: In 1988 to 1992, considerable geographic variation in stroke mortality was demonstrated for each sex/race group. In black and white women and men, previously described high mortality in the southeastern United States persisted. Mortality rates were generally higher in the South than in the North and in the East than in the West. Compared with data from 1962 to 1988, there was a continuation of the previously described westward shift of high-rate areas to the Mississippi River valley, a trend more marked at age 50 years than at 70 or 90 years. Although rates in the Pacific region were low overall, a surprising area of high rates was seen in southern California among women at all three ages examined. CONCLUSIONS: In whites, rapid declines in stroke mortality in the Southeast have left West South Central states with relatively high mortality rates; this trend may continue as younger cohorts age. However, rates in the Southeast also remain high, especially for blacks.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1993

Measurement of gastric and diaphragmatic height during slow breathing maneuvers.

Changes in height of the gastric air bubble can be inferred, in theory, from the difference between gastric pressures measured with water- and air-filled balloon-catheter systems. We describe an apparatus that satisfactorily measures changes in height of gastric balloons in vitro. During slow breathing maneuvers in standing subjects, the apparatus measured changes in height of the balloons in the stomach that were consistent with expected changes in height of the diaphragmatic dome. In four subjects, balloon movements were nearly always less than movements of the costal margin of the diaphragmatic dome observed by ultrasonography; the average ratio of height changes was 0.73. We conclude that changes in height of the diaphragmatic dome can be measured with this method during slow breathing maneuvers in upright subjects.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1990

Estimating segment inertial properties: comparison of magnetic resonance imaging with existing methods.

To explore magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the basis of a technique for estimating body segment inertial properties directly on subjects, MRI-based estimates were compared with those generated with more traditional methods. The sensitivity of mass, center of mass location, and moment of inertia estimates to the estimation methods and the distribution of muscle, bone, and fat tissues in the lower leg were also evaluated. A series of transverse plane images spaced 2.5 cm apart on the right lower leg of 12 adult males were taken, using MRI. Cross-sectional area data determined from the images served as the basis of the inertial calculations. MRI-based estimates for mass, center of mass location, and moment of inertia about a transverse axis through the center of mass all fell within the range of values obtained with other methods. While the center of mass position was similar for all estimation methods, MRI-based estimates of lower leg mass and moment of inertia showed considerable variability among methods. In addition, MRI mass and moment of inertia values were higher than those from most of the other prediction methods. It is suggested that the higher MRI-based estimates for these descriptors may be reasonable when age and structural differences between young adult runners and cadaver specimens for the comparison studies are considered. These results provide further support for MRI as a means of generating valid inertial property estimates.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

The use of magnetic resonance imaging for measuring segment inertial properties.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether valid measures of segment inertial properties can be generated from a series of cross-sectional tissue scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The cross-sectional images for eight baboon cadaver segments (four forearms, two upper arms, and two lower legs) were digitized to yield areas of muscle, bone, and fat tissues. These data, along with tissue density values, were used for calculations of segment volume (V), density (D), mass (M), center of mass location (CM), and moment of inertia (Icm) about a transverse axis through the segment center of mass. Criterion measures of these properties were obtained using standard experimental techniques. Close agreement was found between criterion and MRI values for mean segment CM (44.67 vs. 43.36% from proximal end, respectively) while mean segment D was the same (1.124 g.cm-3) for both methods. MRI procedures tended to overestimate segment V(595.3 vs. 633.4 cm3), M(720.0 vs. 769.9 g), and Icm (3.208 vs. 3.332 x 10(-3) kg.m2). It was concluded that MRI represents a promising technique for generating valid measures of segment inertial characteristics as well as other anatomical features.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Characteristic patterns of gait in the healthy old.

If the influences of aging processes on gait are to be understood, gerontologists must become better versed in experimental methodology appropriate to locomotion research. They must also begin to conduct experiments that move beyond mere description. Systematic research efforts that are interdisciplinary in nature and that incorporate several types of gait analyses will be needed to discover the causes of adaptations and impairments of gait in the aged. Certainly, this will not be easy to accomplish; however, we hope that the work reported here demonstrates this approach is possible and worthwhile.

Aged↗