Bariatric surgeries in north Carolina, 1990 to 2001: a gender comparison.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine the number of bariatric procedures in obese men and women in a well-defined population and to examine gender differences among bariatric patients.

Research Methods And Procedures: Data on bariatric patients were taken from the North Carolina Hospital Discharge Database, which contains information on all nonfederal hospital discharges in North Carolina from 1990 to 2001. Using North Carolina Hospital Discharge Data, Census North Carolina resident estimates, and North Carolina obesity prevalence estimates, we constructed annual rates for bariatric procedures for the obese male and female population in North Carolina.

Effects of growth implants on consumer perceptions of meat tenderness in beef steers.

Anabolic steroid implants are routinely used to increase growth performance and profitability; however, there are concerns that the use of implants, particularly those containing trenbolone acetate, may have detrimental effects on carcass quality and beef tenderness. Thus, the objectives of the current study were to determine the effects of various commonly used implant regimens on shear force values, sensory properties, and consumer satisfaction of beef top loin steaks from cattle of Bos indicus influence. Cattle were supplied by producers that agreed to provide sire and dam information in exchange for carcass and sensory data.

Use of PCR in the diagnosis of early syphilis in the United Kingdom.

Objectives: To evaluate a Treponema pallidum polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in the laboratory diagnosis of early syphilis in the United Kingdom.

Subjects And Setting: Men and women attending genitourinary medicine clinics in England.

Methods: A trial PCR service was offered for the analysis of swabs of ano-genital or oral ulcers suspected to be syphilitic in origin.

The effect of weight change on nursing care facility admission in the NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Survey.

Data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Followup Survey were used to examine whether weight change was associated with an increased relative risk of nursing care facility admission. Hazard ratios were calculated with Cox proportional hazards models and stratified by overweight status at baseline. Moderate and large weight loss was associated with an increased risk of nursing care facility admission in overweight and non-overweight subjects.

Maximum likelihood estimation in random effects cure rate models with nonignorable missing covariates.

We introduce a method of parameter estimation for a random effects cure rate model. We also propose a methodology that allows us to account for nonignorable missing covariates in this class of models. The proposed method corrects for possible bias introduced by complete case analysis when missing data are not missing completely at random and is motivated by data from a pair of melanoma studies conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group in which clustering by cohort or time of study entry was suspected.

A novel method for the templated synthesis of homogeneous samples of hollow carbon nanospheres from cellulose chars.

A novel method for the production of homogeneous samples of hollow carbon nanospheres is reported from cellulose, an inexpensive and renewable precursor. The nanospheres are of diameter 50 nm, graphitic wall thickness 5-10 nm, and can easily be produced in several hundred milligram batches. The nanospheres are derived from the laser pyrolysis of a nickel chloride templated cellulose char via open Ni-core shells.

Associations between Mycoplasma genitalium, Chlamydia trachomatis and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Objective: To evaluate the association between Mycoplasma genitalium, Chlamydia trachomatis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) METHODS: A case-control methodology was used. Swab eluates were processed using the QIAamp DNA mini kit. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for M genitalium was carried out using a real time in-house 16S based assay.

Modeling community-level effects on preterm birth.

Purpose: We demonstrate modeling of community-level socioeconomic influences on risk of preterm birth (< 37 weeks gestation) in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition (PIN) Study.

Methods: Community-level information from the US Census was linked to 930 White and 817 African-American (Black) participants from a prospective cohort in central North Carolina through geocoded addresses, providing 123 census tracts with community-level and individual-level data for multi-level statistical analyses.

Results: Preterm delivery was experienced by 12.

Associations between Mycoplasma genitalium, Chlamydia trachomatis, and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Objective: To evaluate the association between Mycoplasma genitalium, Chlamydia trachomatis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) METHODS: A case-control methodology was used. Swab eluates were processed using the QIAamp DNA mini kit. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for M.

Evaluation of the specificities of five DNA amplification methods for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

The intragenus specificities of five molecular diagnostic methods for Neisseria gonorrhoeae were determined. Three assays were considered suboptimal. Molecular detection of N.

Comparison of pregnancy dating by last menstrual period, ultrasound scanning, and their combination.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of algorithms for the assignment of gestational age with the use of the last menstrual period and early ultrasound information.

Study Design: Gestational age estimates that are based on last menstrual period, ultrasound scanning, or their combination were compared among women who attended prenatal care clinics in central North Carolina (n = 3655) by an evaluation of digit preference in the last menstrual period dates and a comparison of mean gestational age, preterm and postterm categories with the use of kappa statistics, difference between actual and expected delivery date, and birth weight among subgroups with discrepant assignments.

Results: Last menstrual period reports show digit preference, assign gestation 2.

Prognostic value of concordant seizure focus localizing data in the selection of temporal lobectomy candidates.

This study was performed to test the hypotheses that (a) resection of the temporal lobe epileptic focus, amenable to noninvasive as opposed to invasive localization, is associated with superior seizure outcome and (b) that quadruple (versus lesser degrees of) concordance of seizure focus localizing data predicts superior seizure-free outcome. Eighty-three patients underwent invasive (subdural-EEG) and/or noninvasive (video/scalp-EEG, SPECT, PET, MRI, neuropsychological testing) evaluation. All patients underwent anterior temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy (ATL/AH) and seizure outcome was assessed at minimum one-year follow-up.

Evaluating the impact of child safety seat check-up events on parental knowledge.

Riding unrestrained is the greatest risk factor for death and injury among children in motor vehicles. Restraining a child can reduce the risk of death for that child by up to 71%. However, despite increased awareness, child safety seat usage rates are still disturbingly low.

Obesity affects nursing-care facility admission among whites but not blacks.

Objective: This study examines whether obese individuals have a greater rate of nursing care facility admission than normal weight individuals.

Research Methods And Procedures: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiological Follow-up Survey were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the relationship between baseline weight status and subsequent time to first nursing home admission while adjusting for sex, age, race, marital status, height, presence of children, smoking status, education, region, urban residence, income, and physical activity.

Induction of interleukin-12 and gamma interferon requires tumor necrosis factor alpha for protective T1-cell-mediated immunity to pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection.

The development of T1-cell-mediated immunity is required to clear a pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection. The objective of these studies was to determine the mechanism by which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) augments the development of pulmonary T1 immunity to C. neoformans infection.

Differential roles of CC chemokine ligand 2/monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and CCR2 in the development of T1 immunity.

CCR2 and its major ligand, chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2)/monocyte chemotactic protein-1, have been found to influence T1/T2 immune response polarization. Our objective was to directly compare the roles of CCR2 and CCL2 in T1/T2 immune response polarization using a model of pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection. Either deletion of CCR2 or treatment of wild-type mice with CCL2 neutralizing Ab produced significant and comparable reductions in macrophage and T cell recruitment into the lungs following infection.

Frailty models with missing covariates.

We present a method for estimating the parameters in random effects models for survival data when covariates are subject to missingness. Our method is more general than the usual frailty model as it accommodates a wide range of distributions for the random effects, which are included as an offset in the linear predictor in a manner analogous to that used in generalized linear mixed models. We propose using a Monte Carlo EM algorithm along with the Gibbs sampler to obtain parameter estimates.

Indicators of cocaine exposure and preterm birth.

Objective: To identify predictors of cocaine exposure during pregnancy, using hair and urine assays and self-report, and the association with preterm birth.

Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted in a cohort of 2611 black and white women enrolled in prenatal care in central North Carolina. Cocaine exposure was ascertained by self-report (263 cases, 612 controls), urine assays at 24-29 weeks' gestation (226 cases, 564 controls) and postpartum (160 cases, 408 controls), and postpartum hair assays (169 cases, 435 controls).

Heart rate and heart rate variability changes in the intracarotid sodium amobarbital test.

Purpose: Changes in heart rate and heart rate variability have been found in prior studies performed during the intracarotid sodium amobarbital (ISA) test. However, these results are not entirely consistent with current models of differential cerebral involvement in the modulation of the heart. This study was designed to re-investigate this topic with a larger N than has heretofore been used.

Impact of biodiesel source material and chemical structure on emissions of criteria pollutants from a heavy-duty engine.

Biodiesel is an oxygenated diesel fuel made from vegetable oils and animal fats by conversion of the triglyceride fats to esters via transesterification. In this study we examined biodiesels produced from a variety of real-world feedstocks as well as pure (technical grade) fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters for emissions performance in a heavy-duty truck engine. The objective was to understand the impact of biodiesel chemical structure, specifically fatty acid chain length and number of double bonds, on emissions of NOx and particulate matter (PM).

Modulation of CREB and NF-kappaB signal transduction by cannabinol in activated thymocytes.

Cannabinoid compounds inhibit the cAMP signalling cascade in leukocytes. One of these compounds, cannabinol (CBN) has been shown to inhibit interleukin-2 (IL-2) expression and the activation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and nuclear factor for immunoglobulin kappa chain in B cells (NF-kappaB) following phorbol-12-myristate-13 acetate (PMA) plus ionomycin (Io) treatment of thymocytes. Therefore, the objective of the present studies was to determine the role of cAMP and protein kinase A (PKA) in the CBN-mediated inhibition of IL-2, CREB, and NF-kappaB in PMA/Io-activated thymocytes.

Affective self-report during the intracarotid sodium amobarbital test: group differences.

Emotional reactions are sometimes observed during the intracarotid sodium amobarbital test. For instance, euphoric/indifference reactions can be seen during right hemisphere inactivation and catastrophic reactions may accompany left hemisphere inactivation. Less dramatic changes can also be detected in affective self-report during left and right hemisphere amobarbital tests, with more negative affect reported during left hemisphere inactivation and either neutral or mildly positive affective states reported during right hemisphere inactivation.