Associations of body fat and its distribution with dietary intake, physical activity, alcohol, and smoking in blacks and whites

Cross-sectional associations between body fat and its distribution and environmental factors influencing energy balance were examined in 5115 young adults. Protein was directly associated with body mass index (BMI) in all race and sex groups (P less than 0.01) after age, education, cigarette-smoking status, alcohol intake, and physical activity were adjusted for. Carbohydrate intake was inversely associated with BMI in males (P = 0.02). Total physical activity was inversely associated with BMI in white women and with skinfold-thickness measures (P less than 0.01) in all groups. Waist-to-hip-circumference ratio (WHCR) was positively associated with total kilojoules (kilocalories) in women, inversely associated with percent of kilojoules (kilocalories) from carbohydrates in whites, grams of crude fiber/4184 kJ (1000 kcal) (except in black men), and physical activity (except in white women). WHCR was directly associated with cigarette smoking except in black men, and with total alcohol intake in men. Beer was consistently associated with WHCR in all race and sex groups.

Quality control of dietary data collection in the CARDIA study

The Coronary Artery Risk Development in (Young) Adults (CARDIA) Study developed and implemented quality control (QC) measures to minimize misclassification associated with dietary data. Manual and automated data inspection were used to monitor quality. Of the 5111 participants who completed a dietary history, 717 (14%) had dietary forms reviewed and 153 (3%) had the interview audiotaped. Results show that for the 717 forms reviewed, the overall form completion error rate was 0.22% and the "critical" error rate (i.e., those errors impacting on nutrient computations) was 0.12%. The proportion of forms free of any type of error increased over time (p less than 0.0001). The discrepancy rate in recording and interviewing methods as estimated from the 153 audiotaped interviews was 0.7%. Inter-interviewer differences were small as indicated by the audiotaped interviews and the proportion of error-free forms completed by interviewers. The results indicate that the dietary data collected in CARDIA were completely and accurately recorded for use in analysis.

The CARDIA dietary history: development, implementation, and evaluation

To meet the objectives for dietary assessment in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) prospective study, we developed a dietary history to provide accurate and reliable quantitative data on habitual individual nutrient intakes at baseline. The CARDIA dietary history was an interviewer-administered method that included a short questionnaire regarding general dietary practices followed by a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire about typical intake of foods using the previous month as a reference for recall. For each broad category of foods, participants were questioned in detail about specific foods only if they indicated that they consumed foods from that category. Follow-up questions for selected foods concerned serving size, frequency of consumption, and common additions to these foods. Provision was made for reporting foods not found in the food frequency list. The interview took approximately 45 minutes. Cue cards prompted responses and plastic food models assisted in estimating usual amounts consumed. A precoded format standardized coding for reported items and established the detail needed for recall during the interview. Baseline nutrient analyses from the CARDIA dietary history provided estimates that agreed reasonably well with expected caloric intake for body mass index according to the age- and sex-specific Recommended Dietary Allowances, but were higher than those reported from 24-hour recalls for comparable age, sex, and race groups in the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The CARDIA dietary history is a comprehensive assessment tool that can provide a dietitian with detailed information regarding habitual eating patterns and nutrient intakes among adults.

Ranking of chemicals for carcinogenic potency--a comparative study of 13 carcinogenic chemicals and an examination of some of the issues involved

A number of methods for categorization of carcinogens, including classification and ranking, have been examined and applied to 13 carcinogenic chemicals. Compounds known to be carcinogenic to humans ranked highly in the ranking systems. The TD50 approach was a satisfactory ranking system. The examination of the classification system of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the studies of the ranking systems revealed the importance of considering the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Some of the important problems of categorizing carcinogens are discussed.

Spontaneous rupture of the normal colon

A case of spontaneous rupture of the colon in a previously asymptomatic patient is herein reported. At laparotomy, apart from the tear in the sigmoid colon, no other pathological problem was present. An awareness of the existence of this condition will lead to early diagnosis and management with improved morbidity and mortality.

Diet, body size, and plasma lipids-lipoproteins in young adults: differences by race and sex. The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study

The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study completed baseline dietary assessment, measurement of body mass index, and lipid and lipoprotein analyses on 5,111 participants. CARDIA includes black and white men and women between 18 and 30 years of age at baseline (1985-1986), recruited in Birmingham, Alabama, Chicago, Illinois, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Oakland, California. Diet was assessed by a detailed interviewer-administered diet history that measured the usual eating pattern over the past month. Possible sex, race, age, and educational differences in diet, body size, and lipids-lipoproteins were explored. Nutrient analyses indicate that the Keys score, a measure of dietary fat composition, is significantly correlated with plasma cholesterol in older (aged 25-30 years) white men (r = 0.12, p less than 0.01) and older white women (r = 0.12, p less than 0.001). In multiple linear regression analyses, body mass index was positively and significantly associated with total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and inversely associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol across all race-sex groups. The Keys score was significantly associated with total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in white men and women. Education was associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol in black and white women and white men. In these young adults, dietary fat intake and body mass index were related to blood lipids in certain subgroups. In black and white men and black women, blood cholesterol increased with age across race-sex groups independently of these covariates. In view of the many factors affecting plasma cholesterol and the limitations of the dietary history method, these cross-sectional data are useful in characterizing diet and lipid differences. There appears to be general disparity between recommended dietary intake of total fat, saturated fat, and other nutrients and actual dietary intake in young adults, regardless of age and educational level.

Primary prevention of hypertension by nutritional-hygienic means. Final report of a randomized, controlled trial

A 5-year trial involving 201 men and women with high-normal blood pressure at baseline demonstrated the ability to reduce the incidence of hypertension in participants randomized to nutritional-hygienic intervention compared with a control group. The incidence of hypertension was 8.8% among 102 intervention group participants vs 19.2% among 99 control group members. The odds ratio for the incidence of hypertension in the control group was 2.4. Mean trial blood pressure also was lower in the intervention compared with the control group (-1.2 and -1.9 mm Hg, respectively, for diastolic blood pressure at work-site and office visits and -1.3 and -2.0 mm Hg, respectively, for systolic blood pressure at the two sites). Net weight loss in the intervention group averaged 2.7 kg during the trial; sodium intake was reduced by 25% and reported alcohol intake decreased by 30%. The majority of intervention participants also reported an increase in physical activity. Effect on blood pressure was related particularly to degree of weight loss. Results indicate that even a moderate reduction in risk factors for hypertension among hypertension-prone individuals contributes to the primary prevention of the disease.

Characterization and properties of nine human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines

Four series of cell lines have been derived from patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma. Nine cell lines have been established at one from a solid metastasis. Six lines were derived from the ascites or pleural effusion of patients with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma: PEO1, PEO4, and PEO6 from one patient, PEA1 and PEA2 from a second, and PEO16 from a third. Three lines (PEO14 and PEO23 from ascites and TO14 from a solid metastasis) were derived from a patient with a well-differentiated serous adenocarcinoma. Each set of cell lines was morphologically distinct. The five cell lines PEO1, PEO4, PEO6, PEA1, and PEA2 had cloning efficiencies on plastic of 1-2% and only a few cells in these lines expressed alkaline phosphatase or vimentin. Only a low percentage of these cells reacted with the monoclonal antibodies 123C3 and 123A8 but most reacted with OC125. Conversely the cell lines PEO14, TO14, PEO23, and PEO16 were characterized by low cloning efficiency values (less than 0.05%), marked expression of alkaline phosphatase and vimentin, and good reaction with 123C3 and 123A8 but not OC125. These four cell lines also exhibited dome formation. Four of the cell lines, PEO1, PEO4, PEO6, and PEO16, have been xenografted into immune-deprived mice and found to be tumorigenic.

Epidemiological studies of sodium transport and hypertension

Red blood cell membrane cation transport was measured in five population-based surveys and two randomized, controlled, dietary intervention studies to examine its associations with demographic, biological, and dietary variables in free-living individuals. A total of 508 individuals, 255 with high blood pressure, were studied. Both sexes, blacks and whites, and several age groups were represented. The intervention studies included short-term dietary sodium restriction in normotensive adolescents, and a 4-year multifactorial trial on weight, sodium, and alcohol in hypertensive adults. The findings from these surveys and intervention studies are summarized in this report. Sodium-stimulated lithium countertransport was significantly related to diastolic blood pressure in white adults (r = 0.28, p less than 0.001), and to systolic blood pressure in black children (r = 0.50, p less than 0.005) and white adolescents (r = 0.31, p less than 0.05). Lithium countertransport was related to sex and race, but not age. Body mass index had an independent relationship with lithium countertransport in some age groups. Lithium countertransport was lower in normotensive adults than in both younger and older hypertensive adults. Lithium countertransport did not differ significantly between subjects with hypertension treated with antihypertensive medications and those with untreated hypertension. Short-term dietary sodium restriction did not influence lithium countertransport in normotensive adolescents. Long-term dietary intervention was associated with low lithium countertransport in hypertensive adults able to maintain blood pressure control without medication. These findings indicate that lithium countertransport is related to blood pressure and hypertension among free-living individuals.

The role of weight in the positive association between age and blood pressure

This study used cross-sectional data for 19,704 white men and 13,895 white women from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry (November 1967 to January 1973) to investigate whether weight explains the association between age and blood pressure, and in particular, whether age is associated with blood pressure and hypertension in the absence of overweight. The relations among age, relative weight, and blood pressure were examined through assessment of mean blood pressure levels and prevalence of hypertension in 25 subgroups stratified by age (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64 years) and by relative weight (less than 100%, 100-109%, 110-119%, 120-134%, and greater than or equal to 135%). For all five relative weight groups, for both men and women, mean diastolic blood pressure was higher at successive ages. This phenomenon was also seen for systolic blood pressure after ages 35-44 years for men, and after ages 25-34 years for women. On the other hand, the higher the relative weight was, the higher the blood pressure was. Regression analysis demonstrated that the observed relation between age and blood pressure was consistent for all five relative weight groups, including those at desirable weight. These data indicate that for US subjects, age and blood pressure are generally associated in the absence of overweight.

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The production and assessment of monoclonal antibodies to cortisol

In an extensive series of experiments, Balb/C mice and Lou rats were immunised with 3-O-(carboxymethyl)oximinocortisol conjugated to bovine serum albumin. The spleen cells from selected animals were fused with cells from mouse or rat plasmacytoma lines. Out of many hundreds of hybridomas screened, more than seventy produced antibody that bound 125I-labeled cortisol. These cultures were investigated further for stability of antibody production, affinity for cortisol and cross-reactivity with other steroids. An unexpected but consistent finding was that immunised rats produced antibody which cross-reacted with 11-deoxycortisol to a level greater than 100% and this characteristic was reproduced by rat-rat hybridomas. Strategies designed to improve the chances of generating non-cross-reactive anti-cortisol monoclonal antibodies did not appear to be successful. Nevertheless, several monoclonals were identified with properties that suggest they may be useful for the development of sensitive and specific cortisol assays.

Kinetics of intravenous and oral pentoxifylline in healthy subjects

The kinetics of a sustained-release formulation of pentoxifylline were compared with those of a capsule and an intravenous infusion. Ten healthy subjects received each of the oral pentoxifylline formulations (400 mg) three times a day for 9 days in a random crossover fashion. Pentoxifylline (200 mg) was also given intravenously on a separate day. After intravenous pentoxifylline, plasma levels declined in a biphasic manner, with a terminal t1/2 of 1.63 +/- 0.8 hr. Plasma clearance was 1333 +/- 481 ml/min and the volume of distribution was 168 +/- 82.3 l. Cumulation of pentoxifylline in plasma after repeated dosing was minimal. Plasma levels of the active 5-hydroxylated metabolite were generally higher than those of the parent drug after both routes of administration. Urinary excretion of two acid metabolites after oral and intravenous dosing indicated almost complete absorption of drug-related substances from both of the oral formulations, although bioavailability averaged 20% to 30%.

Body cooling in human males by cold-water immersion after vigorous exercise

Five male subjects were immersed to neck level in a whole-body water calorimeter (water temperature 19 degrees C) on two occasions. One immersion was preceded by 30 min of exercise on a treadmill at 80% of the subjects' maximum heart rate, while the other was preceded by no exercise (control). Ventilation, oxygen consumption, hand-grip strength, and heat loss (measured by calorimetry) results showed no significant differences between resting and exercise trials. Minute ventilation and oxygen consumption increased during the immersion but the magnitude of the increase varied among subjects. There was a significant decrease is isometric hand-grip strength after 30 min of immersion. Rectal temperatures fell faster (0.031 degree C +/- 0.004 degree C/min) for exercised subjects than for controls (0.019 degree C +/- 0.005 degree C/min) between 10 and 45 min of immersion (P less than 0.01). It appears that vigorous preimmersion exercise may shorten survival time in cold water due to an increase in cooling rate.