Browsing by Subject "cardiovascular disease"
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Item Detection of Androgen Receptors by Flow Cytometry(2008-05-01) Dutta, Mayurika; McClain, Robert; Singh, Meharvan; Hall, StanDutta, Mayurika, ‘Detection of androgen receptors by Flow Cytometry’. Internship Practicum report, Biotechnology, May 2008, 80 pp., 1 table, 18 figures. The use of androgen therapy is expanding given the documented potential benefits like increasing bone mineral density, muscle mass and strength. Androgen therapy also has potential risks including increasing the likelihood of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. So, we need a way to differentiate those who are likely to be benefitted by the therapy and those that are not. Data from Dr. Meharvan Singh’s lab has shown that activation of intracellular androgen receptors triggers cell survival pathways, while activation of the membrane androgen receptor suppresses cytoprotective pathways, and thus promotes cell death. We propose to develop a diagnostic kit that measures the relative ratio of intracellular androgen receptors and membrane androgen receptors, which is predicted to gauge relative risks or benefits associated with androgen therapy.Item Duration of unemployment and self-perceived health in Europe(2016-03-01) Brenner, M. HarveyThis study investigates the potential impact of employment loss on self-perceived health according to the duration of national levels of unemployment in EU member states during 2004-2012. The principal findings were that the total unemployment rate, long-term unemployment (LTU) rate and very long-term unemployment (VLTU) rate were all strongly related to increased reports of bad and very bad self-perceived health. In fact, the impact of unemployment (i.e., effects based on the coefficients) increased in a ‘dose-response’ manner with the total unemployment rate showing the smallest coefficient, the LTU rate showing a greater coefficient, and the VLTU rate showing the strongest impact in terms of increasingly bad and very bad self-reported health. The findings complement existing evidence that identified unemployment as an important risk factor for heart disease mortality at the start of the 2008/2009 recession.Item Effect of 2018 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline Change on Statin Prescription for People Living with HIV(Elsevier B.V., 2023-03-28) Pan, Meng; Agovi, Afiba Manza-A.; Anikpo, Ifedioranma O.; Fasanmi, Esther O.; Thompson, Erika L.; Reeves, Jaquetta M.; Thompson, Caitlin T.; Johnson, Marc E.; Golub, Vitaly; Ojha, Rohit P.The American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines were updated in 2018 to explicitly recommend statin use for primary cardiovascular disease prevention among people living with HIV (PLWH), but little is known about the effect of this guideline change. We aimed to assess the effect of the 2018 ACC/AHA guideline change on statin prescription among PLWH. We used data from an institutional HIV registry to identify PLWH aged 40-75 years, engaged in HIV care between June 2016 and May 2021, had a LDL cholesterol between 70 and 189 mg/dl, 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score >/=7.5%, no prior statin prescription, and no history of diabetes or ASCVD. Our outcome of interest was a new statin prescription within 12 months of eligibility. We estimated standardized risk difference (RD) with 95% confidence limits (CL) by comparing prescription probabilities before and after guideline change. Our study population comprised 251 PLWH (171 before, 80 after the guideline change), of whom 57% were aged <55 years, 82% were male, and 45% were non-Hispanic black. The standardized 12-month statin prescription risk was 43% (95% CL: 31%, 60%) after the guideline change and 19% (95% CL: 13%, 26%) before the guideline change (RD = 25%, 95% CL: 9.1%, 40%). Our results suggest that the 2018 ACC/AHA guideline change increased statin prescription among PLWH, but a sizable proportion of eligible PLWH were not prescribed statin. Future studies are needed to identify strategies to enhance implementation of statin prescription guidelines among PLWH.Item Establishing the Effects of Exercise Schema and Self-Schema on Emotional Distress(2003-08-01) Rodriguez, Leslie R.; Coggin, Claudia; Doster, Joseph; Cipher, DaishaRodriguez, Leslie R., BSN, RN, Establishing the Effects of Exercise Schema and Self-Schema on Emotional Distress. Masters of Public Health (Health Behavior), August 2003, 78 pp., 4 tables, references, 81 titles. Chronic diseases’ resulting from anger and depression represents a significant problem. Vast amounts of resources and dollars are expended and utilized. Their link to the development of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes is recognized. Physical activity produces improvements in self-esteem, increased alertness, and decreased anxiety. The purpose of this study was determining the effect exercise and exercise schema has on mood states. College age students (N=198) of a large North Texas University were recruited. Data collection included States of change, the Exerciser self-schema questionnaire, Clinical Analysis Questionnaire, and the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Significance in some mood states of those who were exercising and exercise schematic were found.Item Obesity and Risk of Stroke in NHANES I Follow Up Study(2002-12-01) Soman, Ashwini; Ajani, Umed; Rene, Antonio; Singh, KaranSoman, Ashwini, Obesity and risk of stroke in NHANES-I follow-up study, Masters of Public Health (Epidemiology), December 2002. 79pp., 20 tables, 3 illustrations, bibliography, 46 titles. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US. Role of obesity as an independent risk factor has been relatively well established for coronary heart diseases but not for stroke. Purpose of this study was to assess long-term risk of stroke due to obesity measured at baseline. The research was conducted using First National Nutritional Health and Examination Survey and its follow ups. Overall, increased risk of stroke was observed in obese individuals (BMI [greater than] 30 kg/m2). Similar association was observed in different subgroups of race, gender, those with or without diabetes and cardiovascular disease.Item Statins and PCSK9 Inhibitors: How They Have Shaped Medicine, A Comparative Review(2016-12-01) Escarsega, Phillip R.; Rustin E. Reeves; Patricia A. GwirtzKeeping serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels within recommended ranges has been proven to lower the risk of cardiovascular events from occurring. To lower LDL-C levels, statins have been the drug of choice for the last few decades since they were introduced. However, the discovery of PCSK9 inhibitors and new knowledge about how they are able to lower LDL-C levels may provide physicians a new path to consider when choosing a course of treatment in patients that fit the criteria for PCSK9 inhibition. Furthermore, there are several risks with statins which may turn physicians towards using PCSK9 inhibitors in patients with uncontrolled LDL-C. This practicum report is a review of the latest developments in PCSK9 drugs and how they compare to statins in lowering LDL levels.Item The Dose Dependent Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease and Its Risk Facotrs-A Systematic Review(2007-12-01) Bhamidimarri, Kalyan Ram; Singh, KaranBhamidimarri, Kalyan R; The Dose Dependent Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease and Its Risk Factors-A Systematic Review. Master of Public Health (Biostatistics), December 2007, 41 pp; 2 tables, 3 illustrations, bibliography, 60 titles. Effects of alcohol on cardiovascular health are varied and conflicting. Moderate alcohol drinking has been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease by having a direct influence on vascular and haemostatic factors or indirectly by influencing atherosclerosis, cholesterol and insulin resistance. Studies about effects of alcohol on cardiovascular diseases and its risk factors published through 1995 to 2007 were searched in different databases and those meeting eligibility criteria were analyzed. Thirty one studies were reviewed and data analyzed to verify dose dependent effects of alcohol. Although several factors account for different effects of alcohol, moderate consumption of alcohol amounting to less than one drink or 14 grams per day is protective for cardiovascular disease possibly due to its impact on the risk factors. Randomized controlled studies which can be done in this regard might clearly suggest a dose dependent effect of alcohol on cardiovascular and overall survival.Item The impact of unemployment on heart disease and stroke mortality in European Union Countries(2016-05-01) Brenner, M. HarveyThis paper examines the relation between unemployment and CVD mortality in European Union countries during the first decade of the 21st century. Two separate studies are summarized, focusing on increased heart disease and stroke mortality rates as potential outcomes of the greatly extended unemployment rate during 2000 – 2010 and especially the Great Recession of 2007 – 2009. Unemployment rates and mortality from two cardiovascular illnesses are viewed in pooled cross-sectional analyses over the range of EU countries. In addition to the unemployment rate, other economic variables, expressing the Recession, are studied in relation to cardiovascular mortality over multiple years in a pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis with random effects. The principal finding is that increases in the unemployment rate are related to increased heart disease and stroke mortality. Controlling for other labour market variables, such as labour force participation, as well as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita—the principal indicator of recession and economic growth.Item Tracking of Cholesterol Among Individuals With and Without Diagnosed Cardiovascular Disease(2003-05-01) Fisher, Bettina L.; Rene, Antonio; Brant, Larry; Cipher, Daisha J.Fisher, Bettina L., Tracking of Cholesterol Among Individuals With and Without Diagnosed Cardiovascular Disease. Master of Public Health (Epidemiology), May 2003, 46 pp., 6 tables, 5 figures, bibliography, 33 titles. Cardiovascular disease is a major public health problem among the elderly in the United States, and cholesterol is the number one risk factor for coronary heart disease. Tracking is a method of analysis used to identify at-risk subjects at an early age in order to institute preventive measures before physical implications of the disease arise. The purpose of this study is to determine the stability and predictability of total serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) values for people with and without diagnosed cardiovascular disease through tracking. Data was obtained from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) and comprised men, 45 years of age and older who had at least two measurements. The average length of time subjects were in the study was 21 years, and the average number of repeated measurements was seven. The dataset was divided into two subsets – one for subjects entering the study with diagnosed cardiovascular disease, and a second for subjects entering the study without diagnosed cardiovascular disease. Tracking coefficients were measured using the linear regression model and the linear mixed effects model. There was a high degree of tracking for HDL using the linear regression model and the linear mixed effects model (overall dataset: 0.9283, 0.8216 respectively). Comparing tracking coefficients for cholesterol among subjects with and without diagnosed cardiovascular disease (linear mixed effects: 0.6469 and 0.7668; linear regression model: 0.5408 and 0.6022) reveals that the former subset has less stable cholesterol values than that the latter subset. The linear mixed effects model was the best fit for this data, because it corrects for the variation in the BLSA in interperiod and repeated measurements between subjects.Item Trends in Cholesterol Over 30 Years in the United States by Nativity(2009-05-01) Murillo, Rosenda; Stimpson, JimTrends in cholesterol in the US based on nativity status have not been researched. The objective of this study was to determine and explain differences in cholesterol levels based on nativity. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used to study trends (1971-2002) of cholesterol levels in US born and foreign born people. Logistic and linear regressions were conducted to adjust for complex sampling of NHANES. This study found mixed results for cholesterol levels based on nativity status that varied over time. Therefore, disparities in cardiovascular disease between foreign born and US born groups cannot be fully explained based on cholesterol levels. Further research is needed to determine what factors contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease by nativity.