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Correlates of blood pressure change in middle-aged male mild hypertensives: results from the untreated control group in the Oslo hypertension trial. The Oslo Study.

The never-treated control group in the Oslo Study hypertension trial of middle-aged men 40-49 years old at entry (n = 379) was studied with respect to five-year change in blood pressure and its correlates. The study began in 1972 and ended in 1979, and each patient was followed for five years. Both baseline and rate of change of correlates were analyzed as independent variables versus rate of change in blood pressure as the dependent variable. Rate of change in serum triglycerides were found to be the strongest correlate of rate of change in blood pressure in this population of healthy mild hypertensives. In addition, rate of change in serum cholesterol and body weight made significant contributions in some analyses, but to a lower degree than did rate of change in triglycerides. The model predicts a substantial decrease in blood pressure if lipids and body weight are reduced. Rate of change in sodium, uric acid, and chloride concentrations were also associated with blood pressure change, but total degree of explanation of all explaining variables only accounted for 11-15% of total variation in annual blood pressure change.

Adult↗

Epigenome changes in active and inactive polycomb-group-controlled regions.

The Polycomb group (PcG) of proteins conveys epigenetic inheritance of repressed transcriptional states. In Drosophila, the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) maintains the silent state by inhibiting the transcription machinery and chromatin remodelling at core promoters. Using immunoprecipitation of in vivo formaldehyde-fixed chromatin in phenotypically diverse cultured cell lines, we have mapped PRC1 components, the histone methyl transferase (HMT) Enhancer of zeste (E(z)) and histone H3 modifications in active and inactive PcG-controlled regions. We show that PRC1 components are present in both cases, but at different levels. In particular, active target promoters are nearly devoid of E(z) and Polycomb. Moreover, repressed regions are trimethylated at lysines 9 and 27, suggesting that these histone modifications represent a mark for inactive PcG-controlled regions. These PcG-specific repressive marks are maintained by the action of the E(z) HMT, an enzyme that has an important role not only in establishing but also in maintaining PcG repression.

Animals↗

Tridimensional personality questionnaire: assessment in patients with social phobia and a control group.

We administered the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire to 40 control subjects and to 47 social phobia patients who met Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) criteria for social phobia and participated in a multicenter treatment study. Multiple comparisons with Bonferroni correction showed a significant increase in total Harm Avoidance scale scores and all four subscale scores for the social phobia group. On a Reward Dependence subscale that measures persistence versus irresoluteness the mean was significantly lower in the social phobia group than the control group. Present findings extend an earlier report of increased Harm Avoidance in major depressive disorder and other clinical diagnostic groups.

Adult↗

A method to obtain a randomized control group where it seems impossible. A case study in program evaluation.

Randomization of program participants into control and experimental groups is often not feasible in field settings. The researcher's desire to evaluate a program with a rigorous experimental design is often incompatible with the objective of serving the expressed needs of the program participants. However, opportunities do arise when a randomized control group can be constructed without disregarding the participants' wish to be included in the treatment group. This article describes a method that uses the participants' compliance to program instructions as a means of classifying participants and, thereby, obtains a randomized control group for a subset of participants. A large smoking intervention project is used to illustrate two variations of this method.

Algorithms↗

[The difficulty of choosing a good control group in a retrospective study (author's transl)].

The choice of either hospital or population controls in retrospective studies is guided by rules implying underlying hypotheses. In a study on aesophageal cancer in relation to alcohol and tobacco consumption, two such control groups were available and were compared. It was found that some of the currently accepted assumptions relating to representativeness of cases or controls were verified but many others were not, particularly in hospital controls. These were found to give less correct estimates of drinking and smoking habits than those obtained from population controls. The limitations in the use of either type of controls is discussed, in relation to the purpose of the study concerned.

Adult↗

Synonymy of strains of Center for Disease Control group DF-1 with species of Capnocytophaga.

Of eight strains of Center for Disease Control group DF-1 examined, seven had 62 to 87% deoxyribonucleic acid homology with the neotype strain of Capnocytophaga ochracea and one had 72% deoxyribonucleic acid homology with the type strain of C. gingivalis. Deoxyribonucleic acid homology of four strains of Bacteroides ochraceus with the neotype strain of C. ochrecea was 76 to 86%.

Bacteroides↗

[Childhood stress and neurosis--results of a control group study].

Biographical stress-risk was compared between a group of 68 neurotic-psychosomatic patients and a parallel control group matched in terms of age and sex. This risk rate was established using a so-called risk-index in which 8 known and variably weighted risk factors were taken into consideration. The following hypotheses were confirmed in the study: Neurotically ill persons show a higher stress-risk (risk-index) in their childhood and pre-adolescence than is found in healthy persons. A person's stress-index is related to the degree of neurosis (r = .42).

Adult↗

[Functional state of the masticatory system in healthy individuals (control group) and in patients with temporomandibular joint disorders].

The functional status of the masticatory system was investigated in a sample of 68 self-defined controls without any treatment need and 82 craniomandibular disorder patients. Among the parameters investigated were measures of mandibular mobility, the presence of joint noises and palpation tenderness of 17 muscle and 3 TMJ sites. These data allowed for calculation of Fricton's Craniomandibular Index (CMI) and Helkimo's Clinical Dysfunction Index (Di). Several socalled signs of dysfunction were found in the normal control group: 38% of the joints had some kind of noise and several muscle sites were tender to palpation (splenius capitis muscle 50%, anterior masseter and temporal muscle 45%, insertion of the trapezius muscle 40%). In addition, according to Helkimo's Di. 90% of the controls would be classified as having mild to moderate dysfunction. The high prevalence of positive signs in the control sample calls for a less rigid definition of what is called a normal craniomandibular status and refutes the a priori establishment of a narrow set of criteria for normality. Some parameters showed a highly statistically significant difference among the control and patient group (p < .001): active range of motion, deviation upon opening, pain on mandibular movement, number of tender palpation points and the CMI and Di.

Adult↗

Psychosocial factors, curative therapies, and behavioral outcomes. A comparison of testis cancer survivors and a control group of healthy men.

In a retrospective study of 223 testis cancer survivors and 120 controls matched sociodemographically, we examined the relative impact of sociodemographic and clinical factors on long-term outcomes in the areas of sexual function, relationships, employment, and mental outlook. For most of the survivors, testis cancer did not lead to unemployment (4.5%), divorce (6.8%), or disabling psychological problems. Multivariate analysis results confirm that cancer survivors report significantly more infertility and sexual performance distress, but not more desire distress, than the control group. Survivors' sexual impairment varied according to treatment received (and therefore histologic factors) and sociodemographic variables. Parental status (not having children) and education (college or less) independently predict infertility distress, whereas education and lower occupational level independently predicted sexual performance distress. Adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES), the men with advanced testis cancer who received chemotherapy and standard retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) had significantly more infertility and performance distress than those men who received other treatments. Neither the treatment or SES variables predicted disrupted relationships or a deteriorated mental outlook. However, men with sexual impairment distress were more likely to report strained relationships and a pessimistic mental outlook. These findings have implications for treatment decisions and can be used to identify subgroups of survivors who could benefit from counseling and sexual rehabilitation services.

Adolescent↗

Control groups for psychosocial intervention outcome studies.

In psychosocial outcome research, as contrasted to pharmacologic research, control groups receiving inert treatment, designed to raise expectations but otherwise provide no service, are almost never indicated; this is true because of methodologic as well as ethical reasons. Four types of comparisons suffice as alternatives: treatment versus no treatment, treatment versus minimal treatment, treatment A versus treatment B, and dismantling. When choices are made among these types of comparisons with power analysis and eight other factors taken into account, the questions of outcome research should be answerable with maximum economic efficiency, with maximum benefit to subjects, and without deception.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

The diagnostic implication of falcine calcification on plain skull radiographs of patients with basal cell naevus syndrome and the incidence of falcine calcification in their relatives and two control groups.

The purpose of our study was to identify the incidence of falcine calcification shown on plain skull radiographs in people with basal cell naevus syndrome (BCNS) and in their relatives compared with a normal population. A population of people with BCNS and their relatives was identified on non-radiological grounds and the incidence of falcine calcification on skull radiographs in each of these two groups was compared with the incidence of falcine calcification in a control group of people and of a larger group who attended casualty departments. Falcine calcification was graded into dense, fine but definite, and faint. 85 people with BCNS had nearly 100% incidence of falcine calcification in adults. 83 first degree unaffected relatives showed no excess over "normal" incidence of falcine calcification. In the 970 casualty patients some falcine calcification was common (> 20%) in males over 30 and in females over 50 years of age. It occurred earlier and was more common in males than in females. Dense calcification occurred in 5-7% of females and males over 60 years of age. Dense calcification was rare (< 2%) under the age of 40 years. In conclusion, falcine calcification should be regarded as the fourth major feature and a very important diagnostic feature of BCNS. An adult labelled as a BCNS sufferer without falcine calcification probably has not got the syndrome. The genetic defect responsible for the metabolic defect resulting in dural calcification is probably the same as, or in close linkage disequilibrium to, that responsible for the major clinical features of the syndrome. The age and sex distribution of falcine calcification in a general hospital casualty population is described.

Adolescent↗

Early prognostic significance of umbilical cord troponin I in critically ill newborns. Prospective study with a control group.

AIM: To determine the value of cord blood cardiac troponin I levels (cTnl) as an early prognostic factor in critically ill newborns, and to compare cord cTnl levels with the prognostic value of the score for neonatal acute physiology (SNAP). METHODS: Cord arterial samples were collected routinely for blood gas analysis, and cord venous samples for cTnl and cardiac-specific creatine kinase assay. The study group (n=109) comprised critically ill newborns who required mechanical ventilation. The control group (n = 96) comprised newborns who were either completely healthy (n = 48) or were followed in a level I neonatal care unit due to moderate-severity problems. RESULTS: The critically ill newborns had significantly higher cTnl levels than control babies (median [min-max] 1.4 [0-13] vs. 0 [0-1.8] ng/mL, respectively; P<0.001). In critically ill newborns, non-survivors had significantly higher cTnl levels than survivors (median [min-max] 6.6 [1.3-13.0] vs. 1.3 [0-8.0] ng/mL, respectively; P<0.001). Receiver-operator curve analysis revealed that, compared with SNAP, cTnl was a more sensitive predictor of mortality in critically ill newborns (area under curve=0.96; 95% CI=0.90-1.02). CONCLUSION: Significantly elevated cord cTnl may be a valuable predictor of mortality in critically ill newborns.

Asphyxia Neonatorum↗

[2 sample configuration frequency analysis: solitary and complementary discriminant types of treatment and control groups].

The paper entitled "Two-sample CFA: Solitary and complementary discriminant types of treatment- and control groups" suggests to modify 2-sample and c-sample CFA as follows: While singular patterns of attributes define solitary types, complementary pairs of patterns define complementary types which may be interpreted as poles of a type-defining factor in factor analysis. The new version of 2-sample CFA is illustrated in 2 examples from clinical psychology with patterns of scales and symptoms.

Depressive Disorder↗

[Comparative studies on oral glucose tolerance and serum lipids under the influence of a new oral contraceptive (SH B 209 AB: 2 mg cyproterone acetate + 0.05 mg ethinyl estradiol), the combination D-norgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and in a control group (author's transl)].

24 healthy women given the combination of cyproterone acetate (2 mg) + ethynyl estradiol (0.05 mg) [SH B 209 AB] and D-norgestrel (0.25 mg) + ethinyl estradiol (0.05 mg) [Neogynon] were compared with a control group in oral glucose tolerance tests. The volunteers were divided into three groups. Two received alternately both preparations with each treatment cycle preceded by one cycle without medication. The third group served as an independent control. On the 25th day of each cycle blood was withdrawn before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after the carbohydrate load. Blood glucose and insulin and free fatty acids in serum were determined. Fasting values of triglycerides and cholesterol in serum were determined. The following results were obtained: 1. The mean fasting levels of blood glucose, serum insulin and free fatty acids were unchanged. 2. The total area under the blood glucose curve over the initial value was not altered 2 h after treatment with SH B 209 AB or Neogynon. The total area under the insulin and free fatty acids curves were also unchanged after the oral glucose load. 3. There was no change in serum cholesterol. 4. Serum triglycerides were significantly increased after SH B 209 AB. 5. The implications of the structural differences between both gestagens are discussed.

Blood Glucose↗