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Biomedical subjects

R R Frerichs

Publications and source records attributed to R R Frerichs.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Path analysis of environmental and genetic influences on blood pressure.

Familial aggregation of a trait (determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient) may result from genetic influence or from environment common to a household. The authors used path analysis to separate aggregation into the proportion of population variability due to genetic influence (h2 = heritability) and the proportion due to environment common to a household (c2). They used data from full siblings and maternal half siblings, aged two to 18 years, from Bogalusa, Louisiana, a biracial community. The statistically significant aggregation they found could be explained by either h2 or c2 except for two cases: systolic measurement in the pooled (black and white) sample requires h2; diastolic measurement in the white sample requires c2. The authors present a simplified explanation of the techniques they used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Equations for estimating percentage of body fat in children 10--14 years old.

Measurements of the percentage of body fat (derived by underwater weighing), height, weight, and triceps skinfold thickness were determined for a volunteer sample of 214 children, 10--14 years old. The bivariate correlations, by sex, of percentage of body fat with five obesity indices are highest with the triceps skinfold and least with weight-height. Five sets of equations are presented for predicting percentage of body fat based on measurements of either height and weight, triceps skinfold, or height, weight, and triceps skinfold. Cumulative frequency distributions of the percentage of body fat (based on height, weight, and triceps skinfold) are shown by race and sex for a total community of 10- to 14-year olds.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1978

Childhood sibling aggregation of coronary artery disease risk factor variables in a biracial community.

To analyze aggregation of risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), the authors studied 4538 children from the biracial community of Bogalusa, Louisiana. Of these children ranging in age from two to 18 years, 2535 had at least one sibling, permitting the calculation of F-ratios and intraclass correlation coefficients. Those calculations revealed statistically signigicant F-ratios for all anthropometric, blood pressure and lipid variables studied. Of the lipoprotein variables studied only alpha-lipoprotein showed no statistically significant aggregation (for black children). The analysis failed to reveal any significant differences in intraclass correlations between black and white children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Relation of serum lipids and lipoproteins to obesity and sexual maturity in white and black children.

The interrelationships of serum lipids and lipoproteins with measures of body habitus and maturation stages were analyzed in a biracial population of 3151 children, ages 5--14 years. In general, triglycerides, pre-beta-lipoprotein, and beta-lipoprotein were positively correlated with body habitus and maturation while alpha-lipoprotein was negatively correlated. The relationships in most instances were more apparent in whites than in blacks, with the highest correlations observed in white boys. No significant correlations were observed between serum cholesterol and the anthropometric variables except in white boys. The most obese children tended to have higher levels of triglycerides, pre-beta-lipoprotein, and beta-lipoprotein, and lower levels of alpha-lipoprotein than the remaining population. In the total population, the multiple correlation coefficients with the children's age, race, sex weight-height index, triceps skinfold and maturation stage as the independent variables and the concentrations of the different serum variables as the dependent variables ranged from 0.04 to 0.11.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Serum lipids and lipoproteins at birth in a biracial population: the Bogalusa heart study.

The lipid profile, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoproteins (beta-, pre-beta-, and alpha-) of cord blood, is presented for 419 black and white infants (94% of the eligible population) born during an 18-month period in Bogalusa, Louisiana. At birth, white neonates of both sexes had higher average levels than black neonates of total cholesterol and beta-lipoproteins. White girls among the four race-sex groups had the highest cord blood levels of total cholesterol, beta-lipoproteins, and alpha-lipoproteins. Neither stress at delivery, birthweight, socioeconomic status, nor season of the year had an observable effect on any of the lipid or lipoprotein levels. The magnitude and direction of the relationships between the respective lipids and lipoproteins in cord blood were similar to those we have observed in preschool and school-aged children in the same community. Total cholesterol was highly correlated with both beta- and alpha-lipoproteins; triglycerides were correlated with pre-beta-lipoproteins but inversely with alpha-lipoproteins. These observations suggest that basic biochemical relationships are already established at birth.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1977

Anthropometric and maturation measurements of children, ages 5 to 14 years, in a biracial community--the Bogalusa Heart Study.

An epidemiological survey of anthropometric and maturation variables was conducted on 3,524 children from the biracial community of Bogalusa, Louisiana. These children, representing 93% of the population, were examined during the school year September 1973 through May 1974. Black boys differed slightly from white boys in height and weight; black girls were taller and heavier than white girls. The black children had longer upper arm lengths and smaller upper arm circumferences than the white children. The median ponderosity (weight divided by the cubed height) decreased with increasing heigth for the four race-sex groups, and a skewed distribution of ponderosity indicated an excess of heavy children among the tall. Based on the Tanner criteria for grading secondary sex characteristics, maturation occurred earlier in the more ponderous girls, although such was not the case for boys. Whereas the Tanner secondary sex characteristics appeared earlier in black girls, white girls reported menarche earlier. The racial and sexual differences known to exist in triceps skinfold were observed for this population. No statistically significant difference was observed overall for height and weight between children within this one community and those of the National Health Examination Survey. However, Bogalusa girls at the 95th percentile were heavier after age 11 than girls of the United States. Also, there was a tendency for white girls in this community to report reaching menarche at an earlier age than black girls, which contrasts slightly with the national sample.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1977

Body height and body mass as determinants of basal blood pressure in children--The Bogalusa Heart Study.

Body height and body mass as determinants of basal blood pressure in children--The Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Epidemiol 106:101-108, 1977. Risk factor variables for coronary artery disease were measured in a total biracial community study of 3524 children, ages 5-14 years. Anthropometric variables, serum lipids, and blood pressure (BP) were measured in a rigid randomized design. Blood pressure data were obtained with an automatic recording instrument that avoids excessive pressure readings in obese children by the use of an over-sized arm cuff bladder with a built-in infrasonic transducer. By reducing the anxiety of the child and by taking multiple readings, pressures were obtained that approached published basal levels. A multiple regression analysis showed that all measured variables could account for 39% of the systolic BP variation. Major determinants were based on weight (W) and height (H). The BP levels, when related to H and to a weight-height index (W/H3), suggest a strong influence of H and an additional influence of W/H3 on BP, both consistent and proportionate over the entire ranges of H and W/H3. The total spectrum of observed correlates of BP, resulting from the multiple regression analysis, suggests that the BP measured under basallike conditions increases as the child grows and is proportional to lean body mass and total body mass. Practical criteria for evaluating abnormal blood pressure levels in children should be based on normative values derived from body weight and body height rather than from age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Hemoglobin levels in children from a biracial southern community.

Hemoglobin levels were determined for 4,081 children, ages 2 1/2-14 years, from a biracial southern community. Back children had lower levels of hemoglobin than white children at every age interval with a mean difference of 0.64 gm/dl. This diffence persisted even when comparing children from similar socioeconomic level households. If black children maintain lower hemoglobin levels consistent with optimum health than do white children, then different hemoglobin standards may be warranted for each race.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Not-so-hyper hyperlipo-proteinemia and coronary artery disease.

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in the United States, and its prevention is now a primary goal of health care personnel. Knowledge of the early history of the disease, which would be particularly helpful in determing its pathogenesis, is still lacking. Studies are only now beginning to be directed at younger individuals without clinical evidence of disease. Hyperlipoproteinemia has been considered a definite risk factor for atherosclerosis for some years, but because of the difficulty involved in relating specific lipid abnormalities to the extent of atherosclerosis in a given patient, unequivocal proof of its role is lacking. Serum lipid and lipoprotein levels used to define hyperlipoproteinemia in the United States are derived from a system in which 95% of the population are regarded as having normal levels. The cut points are set far too high. Mild hyperlipoproteinemia is rampant in this country, as is coronary artery disease, and from the evidence now available, it seems reasonable to try to lower the incidence of the latter by reducing blood lipid levels of the entire population through dietary modification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in 3,446 children from a biracial community: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

Serum lipid profiles of 3,446 (91% of population) children, ages 5-14 years, were determined in a biracial community (Bogalusa, Louisiana) as part of a program investigating the early natural history of atherosclerosis. Black children had significantly higher mean levels of serum cholesterol than white children (170 mg/dl vs 162 mg/dl, P less than 0.0001). On the other hand, significantly lower levels of triglycerides were found in blacks than in whites (61 mg/dl vs 73 mg/dl, P less than 0.0001). Girls had higher levels of triglycerides than boys in both races (blacks, 64 mg/dl vs 59 mg/dl, P less than 0.001; whites, 77 mg/dl vs 69 mg/dl, P less than 0.001). The racial differences in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were even more apparent at the 95th percentile. The serum cholesterol level remained relatively constant in all children until ages 11 and 12 years, after which a slight reduction occurred. This reduction was more pronounced in boys than in girls. In contrast, a significant increase in the level of triglycerides with age was observed in all children except black girls, the increasing slope being most pronounced in white girls.

Adolescent↗