This descriptive study aims to describe the levels of mobility in community-dwelling older Koreans with chronic illnesses, and to examine the associations of their mobility with sleep patterns, physical activity and physical symptoms... more
This descriptive study aims to describe the levels of mobility in community-dwelling older Koreans with chronic illnesses, and to examine the associations of their mobility with sleep patterns, physical activity and physical symptoms including fatigue and pain. The participants were a total of 384 community-dwelling older adults recruited from three senior centers in Seoul, Korea. Measures included mobility assessed using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), physical activity behavior, sleep profiles, fatigue and pain. Data were collected from July to December 2012. The mean 6MWT distance was 212.68 meters. Over 90% of the study participants (n = 373) were classified as having impaired mobility using 400 meters as the cutoff point diagnostic criteria of normal mobility in 6MWT. The 6MWT distance was 246.68 meters for participants in their 60s, 212.32 meters for those in their 70s, and 175.54 meters for those in their 80s. Significant predictors of mobility included younger age, taking mediati...
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Previous studies indicate that low level chemical intolerance (CI) is a symptom of several different controversial conditions with neuropsychiatric features, e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity, and... more
Previous studies indicate that low level chemical intolerance (CI) is a symptom of several different controversial conditions with neuropsychiatric features, e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity, and "Persian Gulf Syndrome". Prior studies suggest that limbic and/or mesolimbic sensitization may contribute to development of CI. The purpose of this report was to document the waking electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns of individuals with CI during chemical exposures presented over repeated sessions. Three groups of adult subjects who were recruited from the community participated in the study: self-reported CI who had made associated lifestyle changes due to their intolerance (CI/ LSC), self-reported CI who had not made such changes (CI), and normal controls without self-reported CI. Subjects underwent two sessions involving one-minute EEG recordings during exposures to low level chemical odors (a probe for limbic activation). The CI, ...
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Disordered breathing during sleep is more common among post- exacerbate a pre-existing disorder. These hypotheses are still menopausal women than among their premenopausal counter- debated (3, 6-9), however, because of paucity of data and... more
Disordered breathing during sleep is more common among post- exacerbate a pre-existing disorder. These hypotheses are still menopausal women than among their premenopausal counter- debated (3, 6-9), however, because of paucity of data and parts, possibly because of declining levels of estrogen and progester- the difficulty of distinguishing an effect of the menopause one. We examined the relationship between the
Research Interests: Treatment, Causality, Multivariate Analysis, Postmenopausal Women, Sleep Apnea, and 23 moreHumans, Age, United States, Female, Exploration, Confidence intervals, Cohort Study, Sleep, American, Body Mass Index, Polysomnography, Aged, Prevalence, Middle Aged, Odds ratio, Study design, Sensitivity and Specificity, Observational Study, Logistic Models, Confidence Interval, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Sleep Stages, and Cohort Studies
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This article summarizes (1) epidemiologic and clinical data on the symptoms of maladies in association with low-level chemicals in the environment, i.e., environmental chemical intolerance (CI), as it may relate to chronic fatigue... more
This article summarizes (1) epidemiologic and clinical data on the symptoms of maladies in association with low-level chemicals in the environment, i.e., environmental chemical intolerance (CI), as it may relate to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia; and (2) the olfactory–limbic neural sensitization model for CI, a neurobehavioral synthesis of basic and clinical research. Severe CI is a characteristic of
Research Interests: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Environmental Pollution, Divided Attention, Humans, Clinical research, and 11 moreFibromyalgia, Mental Disorders, Task Performance, Immune system, Clinical Data, Limbic System, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Individual Difference, Environmental Exposure, General Population, and Volatile organic compound
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Although sleep complaints are often reported in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), there is no conclusive evidence that these complaints represent symptomatic disorders of sleep physiology. Thus, the question of the role of sleep... more
Although sleep complaints are often reported in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), there is no conclusive evidence that these complaints represent symptomatic disorders of sleep physiology. Thus, the question of the role of sleep disturbances as an etiological or maintenance factor in FMS remains open. This study identifies the subjective and objective characteristics of sleep disturbances in adult women diagnosed with FMS. We carried out a systematic review of publications since 1990, the publication year of the American College of Rheumatology criteria of FMS. We selected empirical studies comparing sleep characteristics of adult women with FMS and healthy women or women with rheumatic diseases. We identified 42 articles. Patients with FMS were more likely to exhibit sleep complaints and also a less efficient, lighter and fragmented sleep. The evidence of a FMS signature on objective measures of sleep is inconsistent, however, as the majority of studies lacks statistical power. Current evidence cannot confirm the role played by sleep physiology in the pathogenesis or maintenance of FMS symptoms; nonetheless, it is clear that sleep disturbances are present in this syndrome.
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... Arizona VA Healthcare System; Erin Stoltz is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, and the Southern Arizona VA Helthcare System; Bridget T. Walsh ... 26. Ferger B, Stahl D, Kuschinsky K. Effects of cocaine on the EEG power... more
... Arizona VA Healthcare System; Erin Stoltz is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, and the Southern Arizona VA Helthcare System; Bridget T. Walsh ... 26. Ferger B, Stahl D, Kuschinsky K. Effects of cocaine on the EEG power spec-trum of rats are significantly altered after its ...
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ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to compare specific neuropsychological, psychological, and family history patterns, as well as cardiovascular reactivity of three community-recruited groups of nonsmoking, nonalcoholic... more
ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to compare specific neuropsychological, psychological, and family history patterns, as well as cardiovascular reactivity of three community-recruited groups of nonsmoking, nonalcoholic middle-aged individuals with and without the symptom of intolerance to low levels of environmental chemicals (CI). CI is a common symptom in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibro-myalgia. The groups included: (i) CI who had made associated lifestyle changes because of the CI (CI/LSC); (ii) CI who had not made such changes (CI); and (iii) normals without CI (N). All subjects underwent an evaluation session followed by two laboratory cognitive and psycho-physiological test sessions one week apart. The CI/LSC diverged from the other groups in exhibiting poorer performance on the Continuous Visual Memory Test (CVMT) in terms of more false alarms and fewer correct hits, but normal performance on a visuospatial test of divided attention (DAT). In contrast, the CI group showed progressively poorer performance on the DAT with practice, but were like the N on the CVMT. The CI group showed a complex sensitization (amplification) of heart rate response to the DAT over time. In addition, the CI/LSC had the highest rate of family histories of alcohol problems and of attention deficit disorder, as well as of antihypertensive medication treatment and self-reported past emotional/physical abuse. Taken together, the data suggest that individuals with CI comprise a heterogeneous population requiring careful definition of subtypes for future studies.
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Research Interests: Research Design, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Homeopathy, Life Style, Holistic Health, and 12 moreEmotions, Activities of Daily Living, Humans, Chronic Disease, Female, Male, The, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Health Service, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Adult, and Southwestern United States
Four groups of Fischer Brown Norway hybrid rats were exposed for 5, 10, 15, or 20 d to aerosolized-vapor jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) compared to freely moving (5 and 10-d exposures) or sham-confined controls (15 and 20-d exposures).... more
Four groups of Fischer Brown Norway hybrid rats were exposed for 5, 10, 15, or 20 d to aerosolized-vapor jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) compared to freely moving (5 and 10-d exposures) or sham-confined controls (15 and 20-d exposures). Behavioral testing utilized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Functional Observational Battery. Exploratory ethological factor analysis identified three salient factors (central nervous
Research Interests: Animal Behavior, Linear models, Aerosols, Environmental Sciences, Factor analysis, and 17 moreAnimals, Behavior change, Central Nervous System, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, HYDROCARBONS, Arousal, Rats, Analysis of Variance, Longitudinal Study, General Linear Model, Body Weight, Behavioral Sensitization, Rat Model, Environmental Protection Agency, Control Group, Cumulant, and Motor activity
This paper summarizes theory and evidence for a neural sensitization model of hyperresponsivity to low-level chemical exposures in multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). MCS is a chronic polysymptomatic condition in which patients report... more
This paper summarizes theory and evidence for a neural sensitization model of hyperresponsivity to low-level chemical exposures in multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). MCS is a chronic polysymptomatic condition in which patients report illness from low levels of many different, structurally unrelated environmental chemicals (chemical intolerance, CI). Neural sensitization is the progressive host amplification of a response over time from repeated, intermittent exposures to a stimulus. Drugs, chemicals, endogenous mediators, and exogenous stressors can all initiate sensitization and can exhibit cross-sensitization between different classes of stimuli. The properties of sensitization overlap much of the clinical phenomenology of MCS. Animal studies have demonstrated sensitization to toluene, formaldehyde, and certain pesticides, as well as cross-sensitization, e.g., formaldehyde and cocaine. Controlled human studies in persons with self-reported CI have shown heightened sensitizability in the laboratory to nonspecific experimental factors and to specific chemical exposures. Useful outcome measures include spectral electroencephalography, blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma beta-endorphin. Findings implicate, in part, dopaminergic mesolimbic pathways and limbic structures. A convergence of evidence suggests that persons with MCS or with low-level CI may share some characteristics with individuals genetically vulnerable to substance abuse: (a) elevated family histories of alcohol or drug problems; (b) heightened capacity for sensitization of autonomic variables in the laboratory; (c) increased amounts of electroencephalographic alpha activity at rest and under challenge conditions over time. Sensitization is compatible with other models for MCS as well. The neural sensitization model provides a direction for further systematic human and animal research on the physiological bases of MCS and CI.