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PubMed1993

Severity of liver injury in experimental alcoholic liver disease. Correlation with plasma endotoxin, prostaglandin E2, leukotriene B4, and thromboxane B2.

The purpose of our study is to determine if a relationship exists between the severity of injury in experimental alcoholic liver disease and plasma levels of endotoxin, prostaglandin E2, leukotriene B4, and thromboxane B2. Four groups of animals (n = 4 to 8 in each group) were fed a liquid diet with corn oil (25% of calories) and ethanol over various time periods: 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months. At sacrifice, liver pathology scores and plasma levels of the above were determined. Plasma levels of endotoxin were already increased after 1 week (26.6 +/- 18.6 pg/ml) and continued to increase over time, with the highest levels at 2 months (69.5 +/- 24.5 pg/ml). A strong positive correlation (r = 0.84, P < 0.001) was seen between plasma endotoxin levels and severity of liver injury. The pathology score also correlated positively with leukotriene B4 (r = 0.47, P < 0.05) and thromboxane B2 (0.66, P < 0.01). A negative correlation was obtained with prostaglandin E2 levels (r = -0.44, P < 0.05). A positive correlation was also seen between endotoxin levels and leukotriene B4 (r = 0.57, P < 0.02) and thromboxane B2 (0.64, P < 0.01); a negative correlation was obtained with prostaglandin E2 levels (r = -0.55, P < 0.02). Each metabolite was also correlated with each of the features of alcoholic liver injury, i.e., fatty liver, necrosis, and inflammation. With prostaglandin E2, the most marked decrease was seen in association with severe fatty liver (3 to 4+). Thromboxane B2 correlated best with presence of inflammation and necrosis. Our study shows the importance of endotoxin in the pathogenesis of experimental alcoholic liver disease and suggests that endotoxin modulates production of eicosanoids that contribute to the severity of liver injury.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Clinical trials: relevance of correlation between treatment modalities.

BACKGROUND: Trials that do not allow rejection of the null hypothesis of no treatment effect may have had an inappropriate design. Trials are virtually never assessed for correlation between responses to different treatment modalities. METHODS: Using a model, a simple test and several published studies we studied the influence of correlation levels on the statistical power of clinical trials. RESULTS: The level of correlation between treatment modalities is a major determinant of the power of both self-controlled and parallel group clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: It is extremely relevant to assess correlation levels between treatment modalities of a trial a priori. With a presumably negative correlation a self-controlled design is likely to lack power. With a presumably positive correlation a parallel group design is likely to do so. Both designs are suitable for approximately zero correlations (e.g. comparison vs placebo).

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

PubMed1997

The glomerular deposition of PAS positive material correlates with renal function in human kidney diseases.

General agreement exists on the correlation of renal insufficiency with the severity of tubulointerstitial abnormalities in the biopsy. This could not be shown for the severity of glomerular pathology by semiquantitative methods. The relation between renal function and glomerular pathology was therefore evaluated in patients with various kidney diseases using quantitative measurements. Fifty-five patients and ten controls were studied. Histomorphometric measurements of renal biopsies were obtained for both frozen and paraffin sections and were correlated with serum creatinine values. The frozen sections were stained with an indirect immunoperoxidase technique using antibodies against collagen types I, IV, V, VI, laminin, fibronectin, decorin and heparansulphate proteoglycan core protein. The contribution of each component to the composition of the mesangial extracellular matrix was scored with a semiquantitative technique. All glomerular histomorphometric indices correlated with the severity of renal insufficiency expressed as serum creatinine at the time of biopsy. However, quantitative estimates of the glomerular deposition of periodic acid-Schiff positive extracellular matrix seemed to be the most important structural correlate of renal function (r = 0.524, p = 0.0001). Semiquantitative estimates of interstitial extracellular matrix accumulation were less correlated with renal function (r = 0.370, p = 0.01). The composition of the mesangial extracellular matrix did not differ in patients and controls, with the exception of the extent of laminin staining, which was significantly higher in patients. The extent of fibronectin staining in patients correlated with the severity of glomerular structural abnormalities. This study demonstrates that the severity of renal insufficiency in a variety of renal diseases correlates with the severity of glomerular pathology, when quantitative scoring is applied.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Ecological correlation between consumption of alcoholic beverages and liver cirrhosis mortality in Mexico].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation between alcohol consumption and mortality from liver cirrhosis in Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis of the ecological correlation between the patterns of alcohol consumption determined by the National Addiction Survey in 1993 and mortality by liver cirrhosis, in the period between 1971-1993, in the eight regions in which the country was divided. To determine level of correlation, the Pearson and Spearman coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: Significant correlations were only found with the prevalence of spirits and pulque drinkers; with beer drinkers the correlation was negative. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation with pulque is interesting, since pulque consumption is considered to be low scale in some rural areas. The negative correlation with beer may indicate that beer drinking is nor a good indicator of alcoholism. Results, though limited to the possibilities of an ecological study, reveal the necessity of effective actions in the regions where spirits and pulque are consumed in excess.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Correlation between skinfold thickness and ultrasonography in the study of subcutaneous adipose tissue in females].

The aim of this study was to verify if there is a 1:2 correlation between subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness measured by ultrasonography and skinfold caliper and if this correlation varies in function of the degree of obesity, subcutaneous fat thickness, and the area evaluated. Forty women (age 27.9 +/- 11.7 years, body mass index 28.75 +/- 5.40 Kg/m2, waist to hip ratio 0.77 +/- 0.06) underwent ultrasonographic measurement of subcutaneous adipose tissue and skinfold caliper measurement at nine different sites (bicipital, tricipital, subscapular, suprailiac, epigastric umbilical, hypogastric, gluteal, and femoral). Data analysis confirmed a significant correlation between measurements made by ultrasonography and skinfold plicometry at all sites when the patients were not subdivided according to body mass index or skinfold thickness. When they were subdivided on the basis of body mass index, a significant correlation was found for subjects with a body mass index < 30; when the index was > 30, the correlation was observed at only the subscapular and suprailiac sites, and to a lesser degree at the tricipital and femoral sites. Moreover, a highly significant correlation was found only at sites at which ultrasonographic thickness was not > 20 mm (p < 0.001) with an r value decreasing progressively from 0.685 (thickness < 10 mm) to 0.248 (thickness > 40 mm). Given the great variability of this correlation, we suggest that ultrasonography is preferable to plicometry for the measurement of fat.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1997

[Myosin isoforms in skeletal muscle in patients with chronic heart decompensation: distribution and correlation with with exercise tolerance].

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is accompanied by a reduced exercise capacity, and the symptoms can be at least in part explained by qualitative and quantitative changes in the skeletal muscle composition and metabolism. We have correlated the myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition of the gastrocnemius in 20 patients with different degrees of CHF to expiratory gases measured during maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing, NYHA functional class and echocardiographic parameters. MHC composition was determined electrophoretically in skeletal muscle needle microbiopsies and the percent distribution calculated by laser densitometry. There was no correlation between ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters and MHC composition. The percentage of MHC 1 (slow aerobic isoform) was positively correlated with peak VO2 (r2 = 0.5, p = 0.0004), ventilatory threshold (VT, r2 = 0.33, p = 0.008), and O2 pulse (peak VO2/HR, r2 = 0.40, p = 0.003). There was a negative correlation between MHC 2a and 2b (fast isoforms) and peak VO2 (r2 = 0.38 and 0.37, p = 0.004, respectively), VT (r2 = 0.2, p = 0.05; r2 = 0.34, p = 0.007, respectively) and O2 pulse (r2 = 0.39, p = 0.003; r2 = 0.23, p = 0.03, respectively). NYHA functional class was also negatively correlated with the same parameters (r2 = 0.2, p = 0.01; r2 = 0.4, p = 0.001; r2 = 0.34, p = 0.006, respectively) as well as with MHC 1 (r2 = 0.62, p = 0.0001). A positive correlation was found between NYHA functional class and MHC 2a and 2b (r2 = 0.46, p = 0.001; r2 = 0.41, p = 0.002, respectively). The severity of heart failure is paralleled by a shift of the MHC pattern toward the fast MHC 2b. The correlation between the magnitude of the MHCs shift, from the slow aerobic to the fast type, with both clinical parameters (NYHA functional class) and functional measurements (peak VO2, VT, O2 pulse) of exercise capacity seem to suggest that changes in skeletal muscle composition may play a key role in exercise tolerance in patients with CHF.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Variability and correlated noise in the discharge of neurons in motor and parietal areas of the primate cortex.

We analyzed the magnitude and interneuronal correlation of the variability in the activity of single neurons that were recorded simultaneously using a multielectrode array in the primary motor cortex and parietal areas 2/5 in rhesus monkeys. The animals were trained to move their arms in one of eight directions as instructed by a visual target. The relationship between variability (SD) and mean of the discharge rate was described by a power function with a similar exponent ( approximately 0.57), regardless of the cortical area or the behavioral condition. We examined whether the deviation from mean activity between target onset and the end of the movement was correlated on a trial-by-trial basis with variability in activity during the hold period before target onset. In both cortical areas, for about a quarter of the neurons, the neuronal noise of these two periods was positively correlated, whereas significant negative correlations were seldom observed. Overall, neurons with higher signal correlation (i.e., similar directional pattern) showed higher noise correlation in both cortical areas. On the other hand, when the data were divided according to the distance between the electrode tips from which the neurons were recorded, a consistent relationship between the signal and noise correlations was found only for pairs of neurons recorded through the same electrode. These results suggest that nearby neurons with similar directional tuning carry primarily redundant messages, whereas neurons in separate cortical columns perform more independent processing.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1998

Correlation of peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness by scanning laser polarimetry with visual field defects in patients with glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the correlation between the results of peripapillary scanning laser polarimetry of the retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) and automated visual field testing in patients with open-angle glaucoma. METHODS: Visual fields from 42 patients with varying stages of glaucoma were scored using Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) criteria. Mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, and CIGTS total and hemifield visual field scores were correlated with peripapillary NFL thickness measured by scanning laser polarimetry using summed, ratio-based, and modulation parameters. RESULTS: Mean deviation and CIGTS total and upper hemifield score were significantly correlated with NFL retardation values using summed, ratio-based, or modulation parameters. The CIGTS lower hemifield score was significantly correlated with modulation parameter values only. Correlation of CIGTS scores was significantly stronger with modulation parameters than with summed parameters (total and lower hemifield scores) and ratio-based parameters (lower hemifield only) by the Hotelling t test. CONCLUSION: Relative NFL thickness measured by scanning laser polarimetry correlates well with visual field defects seen on Humphrey perimetry of patients with open-angle glaucoma. Modulation parameters, in which the superior and inferior peak NFL thickness (as measured by scanning laser polarimetry) are adjusted for the patient's average minimum NFL thickness in the nasal and temporal quadrants, provided stronger correlation than summed parameters and ratio-based parameters.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Time-dependent changes of serum carboxy-terminal peptide of type I procollagen and carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen concentrations in patients with acute myocardial infarction after successful reperfusion: correlation with left ventricular volume indices.

To test the hypothesis that in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), changes in the concentrations of the serum carboxy-terminal peptide of type I procollagen (PICP) and the carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) reflect extracellular matrix reformation and degradation, respectively, in the infarct healing processes, we measured these serum concentrations by RIA and compared their values with left ventricular (LV) indices obtained by left ventriculography. We studied 13 consecutive patients with their first AMI who underwent successful reperfusion. Blood samples were taken the day of admission and on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 14. LV volume indices were determined at 1 month after AMI, when LV remodeling was almost completed. The serum concentrations of both PICP and ICTP changed in a time-dependent manner. The average serum PICP concentration was lower than 1 SD below the mean control values on days 2 and 3 and increased thereafter, returning to the lower end of the control range at day 14. The area under the curve (AUC) for PICP was significantly correlated with the LV end systolic (ES) and end diastolic (ED) volume indices and LV ejection fraction for the first 14 days after AMI. The serum PICP on days 5-14 was inversely correlated or tended to be correlated with the LVES and LVED volume indices. The average serum ICTP concentrations on admission were within the control range, began to increase on day 2, and reached maximal concentrations on day 5, remaining at a plateau concentration until day 14. Although the AUC of ICTP for 14 days, the ICTP concentrations on days 1 and 14, and the minimal and maximal concentrations were significantly correlated with creatine kinase (CK) release and the period from AMI onset to the peak CK time, the concentrations were not significantly correlated with any LV indices except for the concentration on day 4, which was weakly correlated with the LVES volume index. The serum concentrations of PICP showed a significant time-dependent change that correlated with LV indices, indicating that PICP may provide additional information for evaluating the healing process because it affects LV remodeling after AMI. Although the serum concentration of ICTP changed in association with CK release, the ICTP concentration was found to be a poor indicator for LV indices.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The importance of human glandular kallikrein and its correlation with different prostate specific antigen serum forms in the detection of prostate carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Human glandular kallikrein (hK2), the prostate specific antigen (PSA) close homologue, possesses approximately 80% structure identity with PSA. The identification of PSA was an important step in the detection of prostate carcinoma (PCa). Thus, hK2 measurement in the serum has the potential to become another important diagnostic test for PCa. In the current study, the authors measured the serum concentrations of the hK2 with "in-house" immunofluorometric assays in different patient groups. The correlation between serum hK2 and different PSA forms was investigated. METHODS: The prospectively collected serum samples were obtained preoperatively on admission from 311 consecutive male patients. Sixteen patients did not fulfill inclusion criteria; the remaining patients were divided into four groups (Groups I-III confirmed histologically): Group I: patients with PCa (n = 56); Group II: patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (n = 163); Group III: patients with BPH with a chronic in-dwelling catheter (BPH cat) (n = 44); and Group IV-control group (n = 32). The patients in Group IV had urolithiasis, varicocele, or kidney or bladder tumors). An experimental immunofluorometric assay with an analytic sensitivity of 0.01 ng/mL and a functional sensitivity of 0.05 ng/mL was used to determine serum hK2 concentrations. Total PSA, free PSA, and PSA complexed to alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (PSA-ACT) also were measured. hK2 concentrations equal to or above the functional sensitivity limit were correlated with each of these PSA serum forms. Free to total PSA, hK2 to total PSA, and hK2 to free PSA ratios were calculated and compared in different patient groups. RESULTS: The hK2 concentrations were equal to or above the functional sensitivity limit in 179 of 311 samples (57.6%). In these samples, hK2 correlated best with free PSA (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.79) and correlated well with total PSA (r = 0.72) and PSA-ACT (r = 0.74). Similar correlations also could be observed when each clinical group was analyzed separately. The median proportion of hK2 in relation to total PSA was 2.1%, 1.8%, and 1.4%, respectively, for PCa, BPH, and BPH cat patients. Both the free to total PSA ratio and the hK2 to free PSA ratio discriminated well between PCa and BPH patients. Within the range of total PSA of 4-10 ng/mL (PCa [n = 11] and BPH [n = 41]) the hK2 to free PSA ratio had a specificity of 63.4% and 90.9% sensitivity (area under the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve = 0.85) whereas the free to total PSA ratio had a 34.1% specificity at the same sensitivity level (area under ROC curve = 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: The hK2 serum level correlates well with all PSA serum forms in all clearly defined clinical groups. The preliminary finding that the hK2 to free PSA ratio appeared to improve the detection of PCa compared with the free to total PSA ratio in patients with total PSA within a 4-10 ng/mL range is of clinical interest. Combining human serine proteases in the multivariate regression analysis will be a tool to improve cancer detection. Further investigations with more sensitive hK2 assays and in larger patient populations are needed to confirm this finding.

Aged↗

PubMed2025

Direct estimation and inference of higher-level correlations from lower-level measurements with applications in gene-pathway and proteomics studies.

This paper tackles the challenge of estimating correlations between higher-level biological variables (e.g. proteins and gene pathways) when only lower-level measurements are directly observed (e.g. peptides and individual genes). Existing methods typically aggregate lower-level data into higher-level variables and then estimate correlations based on the aggregated data. However, different data aggregation methods can yield varying correlation estimates as they target different higher-level quantities. Our solution is a latent factor model that directly estimates these higher-level correlations from lower-level data without the need for data aggregation. We further introduce a shrinkage estimator to ensure the positive definiteness and improve the accuracy of the estimated correlation matrix. Furthermore, we establish the asymptotic normality of our estimator, enabling efficient computation of P-values for the identification of significant correlations. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated through comprehensive simulations and the analysis of proteomics and gene expression datasets. We develop the R package highcor for implementing our method.

Proteomics↗

PubMed1986

Magnetic resonance imaging. Clinical correlation in 64 patients with multiple sclerosis.

Sixty-four patients with possible, probable, or definite multiple sclerosis (McAlpine criteria) were clinically evaluated using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and Scripps neurologic rating scale (NRS). All were examined with a 0.15T magnetic resonance scanner using T2- and T1-weighted images. Correlations between EDSS and NRS scores and severity of disease detected on magnetic resonance imaging were determined. Significant correlations existed between EDSS and NRS with magnetic resonance ratings. Moderate correlations were observed in the motor, cerebellar, and brainstem subgroups of the clinical scales. Significant low correlations existed in the mood/mentation, vision (optic nerves), and bowel/bladder subgroups. Clinical and neuroimaging limitations may account for the lack of higher correlations. Significant correlations suggest the utility of magnetic resonance imaging in monitoring disease progression, and it may prove to be the technique of choice in following up patients with multiple sclerosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Neocortical neurofibrillary tangles correlate with dementia severity in Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships between dementia severity and the extent of histopathologic lesions in a variety of brain regions. Neocortical and hippocampal ratings for neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and senile plaques (SPs) were compared in 70 cases of clinically and neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN: Neuropathologic case series. Dementia severity was assessed by postmortem chart review with use of the extended Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). Linear association between CDR scores and NFT and SP scores were assessed by partial correlation, controlling for age at death. SETTING: Studies were conducted at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Association between CDR scores and neuropathologic changes assessed with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease semiquantitative scale. RESULTS: Among these lesion scores, only NFTs showed a significant association with CDR score, and only for neocortical regions. In particular, NFT densities in the superior temporal cortex were most strongly correlated with dementia severity, followed by those in the inferior parietal and midfrontal cortex. No such correlations were apparent for the amygdala, hippocampus, or entorhinal cortex. Medial temporal lobe structures displayed high NFT scores, even in cases of mild dementia. Senile plaques did not correlate significantly with CDR score in any region. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the notion that neocortical neuronal degeneration, as indicated by NFT formation, is a critical determinant of the clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease and suggest that medial temporal lobe structures may represent the initial site of NFT formation. While SP density correlates with age at death, there is no correlation between SP counts and dementia severity. These results further suggest that the clinical presentation of dementia may be closely related to neurodegeneration in neocortical regions within the temporal lobe.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Correlates of arterial-filling patterns in the intracarotid amobarbital procedure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine behavioral correlates of anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) perfusion patterns in the intracarotid amobarbital sodium procedure. DESIGN: Multivariate analysis of covariance and partial correlations of behavioral measures to ACA crossflow and PCA filling. SETTING: Angiography and the intracarotid amobarbital procedure at a comprehensive epilepsy center. SUBJECTS: Forty-two patients with intractable epilepsy (right-hemisphere seizure focus [n-23]; left-hemisphere seizure focus [n = 19]). MEASUREMENTS: Internal carotid angiography was performed both at a standard injection rate (8 mL of contrast per second) and at 1 mL/s, which matched the rate of the subsequent amobarbital injection. The degree of ipsilateral PCA and contralateral ACA filling were graded on a seven-point scale and compared with postinjection behavior, language, and memory measures. RESULTS: The ACA crossflow did not correlate significantly with that of any measure. The degree of PCA-filling pattern correlated significantly only with the level of consciousness (r = .31, P < .004), but it was not significant after accounting for the effects of seizure laterality, injection side, and amobarbital dosage. Neither ACA crossflow nor PCA filling correlated significantly with memory. The degree of ACA and PCA filling was overestimated at standard angiography (8 mL of contrast medium per second) injection rates. CONCLUSIONS: Although the degree of PCA filling correlates mildly with the level of consciousness postinjection, possibly by perfusion of thalamic or mesencephalic branches, it is not reliably predictive and is less contributory than the injection side and seizure laterality. The PCA filling is not required to produce valid memory assessment in the intracarotid amobarbital procedure, and ACA crossflow is not predictive of behavioral responses.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Neuropathological correlates of dysarthria in progressive supranuclear palsy.

BACKGROUND: The dysarthria of progressive supranuclear palsy consists of prominent hypokinetic and spastic components with less prominent ataxic components. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the types of dysarthria with neuropathological changes in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. DESIGN AND METHODS: In 14 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, we correlated the perceptual speech findings with the neuropathological findings. A dysarthria assessment was performed a mean +/- SD of 31 +/- 15 months (range, 10-53 months) before death. The deviant speech dimensions were rated on a scale of 0 (normal) to 3 (severe). The neuropathological examination consisted of semiquantitative analysis of neuronal loss and gliosis by investigators (A.A.F.S., and L.A.B.) blinded to the clinical findings. Correlation and linear regression analysis were used to correlate the severity of the hypokinetic, spastic, and ataxic components with the degree of neuronal loss and gliosis in predetermined anatomical sites. RESULTS: All patients had hypokinetic and spastic dysarthria, and 9 also had ataxic components. The severity of the hypokinetic components was significantly correlated with the degree of neuronal loss and gliosis in the substantia nigra pars compacta (r = 0.61, P =.02) and pars reticulata (r = 0.64, P =.01) but not in the subthalamic nucleus (r = 0.51, P =.07) or the striatum or globus pallidus (/r/<0.34, P>.20). The severity of the spastic and ataxic components was not significantly correlated with the neuropathological changes in the frontal cortex (r = 0.20, P =.50) and cerebellum (/r/<0.28, P>.33), respectively. CONCLUSION: The hypokinetic dysarthria of progressive supranuclear palsy may result from degenerative changes in the substantia nigra pars compacta and pars reticulata and not from changes in the striatum or globus pallidus.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Correlation of the Schirmer 1 and fluorescein clearance tests with the severity of corneal epithelial and eyelid disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlations of the fluorescein clearance test (FCT) and the Schirmer 1 test with the severity of corneal epithelial and eyelid disease in normal patients and patients with tear film disorders due to meibomian gland disease (MGD) and/or aqueous tear deficiency (ATD). METHODS: Nineteen normal control subjects, 16 patients with MGD associated with rosacea, 21 patients with noninflammatory atrophic MGD, and 43 patients with ATD were enrolled. There was a similar age and sex distribution in each group. Each patient completed a symptom severity questionnaire that consisted of 11 questions and then underwent a panel of diagnostic tests in the following order: assessment of corneal and conjunctiva sensation with the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer, FCT, assessment of corneal fluorescein staining, Schirmer 1 test (5 minutes without anesthesia), and biomicroscopic examination of the eyelid margins and meibomian glands. The FCT was performed with a fluorophotometer by measuring the fluorescein concentration in minimally stimulated tear samples collected from the inferior tear meniscus. By studying the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, we developed a formula that combined the FCT and Schirmer test results, which we termed the FCT corrected by Schirmer test. RESULTS: The FCT showed stronger correlation with ocular irritation symptoms (r = 0. 35, P <.001), corneal fluorescein staining (r = 0.54, P<.001), and meibomian gland and eyelid pathologic signs than the Schirmer 1 test. A correction factor that was based on the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, added to the FCT score, improved its correlation with ocular irritation symptoms, eyelid margin and meibomian gland pathologic signs, and ocular surface sensitivity scores. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal epithelial disease is correlated with decreased aqueous tear production and delayed tear clearance, whereas eyelid and MGD are correlated with delayed tear clearance. The FCT corrected by Schirmer 1 test improves the correlations of the FCT with ocular irritation symptoms, corneal epithelial and eyelid pathologic signs, and corneal and conjunctival sensitivity for patients with MGD and ATD.

Aged↗

PubMed1984

Polyol pathway metabolites in human cataracts. Correlation of circulating glycosylated hemoglobin content and fasting blood glucose levels.

Circulating glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb A1) and/or fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, measures of the extent to which diabetes is clinically controlled, were correlated with the contents of fructose, sorbitol, glucose, and inositol in 27 cataracts removed by intracapsular extraction. In the series of patients studied, Hb A1 levels ranged from 6.0% to 15.5% of the total hemoglobin value. The levels of fructose and sorbitol (micromoles per gram of lens) in their cataracts ranged from 0 to 8.4 and 0 to 10.2 mumole/g, respectively, with correlation coefficients greater than .8. Similar correlations were noted with FBG. The Hb A1 correlated with lens glucose (r = .58) and not with inositol. However, FBG had no correlation with either lens glucose or inositol. The observed correlation of the polyol pathway metabolites with both Hb A1 and FBG suggests that the lens can synthesize substantial quantities of sorbitol and fructose in response to the excess glucose available to lenses of human diabetics. A synergistic role of the polyol pathway in the cause of senile cataracts is thus possible.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMed2001

Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in healthy children.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the determinants of physical activity in children is critical for the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. Social-cognitive theory has been used to understand behavioral patterns in children. OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between health beliefs, self-efficacy, social support, and sedentary activities and physical activity levels in children and to examine the relationship between physical activity and children's self-esteem. METHODS: Ninety-two children aged 10 to 16 years completed the study. Physical activity was monitored for 1 week with a motion detector (Actitrac; IM Systems, Baltimore, Md). Moderate-level activity and high-level activity were defined based on the results of treadmill testing. Health beliefs, self-efficacy, social influences, and time spent in sedentary behaviors were determined through questionnaires. Self-esteem was measured using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Chronic anxiety was measured with the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: There was a significant decline in physical activity levels between ages 10 and 16 years, particularly in girls. Preteen girls spent approximately 35% more time in low- and high-level activity than did teenage girls (P<.001). Overall, children spent 75.5% of the day inactive, with a mean +/- SD of 5.2 +/- 1.8 hours watching television, sitting at the computer, and doing homework. In contrast, only 1.4% of the day (12.6 +/- 12.2 minutes) was spent in vigorous activity. Time spent in sedentary behaviors was inversely correlated with the amount of moderate-level activity (P<.001) but not high-level activity. In contrast, time spent in high-level activity correlated with self-efficacy scores (P<.001) and social influences scores (P<.005). High-level physical activity was also associated with improved self-esteem (P<.05). Higher health beliefs scores were not correlated with physical activity levels. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents are largely sedentary. Correlates of high- and low-level physical activity are different. Time spent on sedentary activities is inversely correlated with moderate-level activity, while self-efficacy and social influences are positively correlated with more intense physical activity. In addition, increased high-level physical activity is an important component in the development of self-esteem in children.

Adolescent↗