The emphasis of the study was to determine the degree of correlation between the Conicity Index and known risk factors for heart disease. Conicity Index was shown in one study to be a useful screening tool in assessing the relationship between body composition and risk for heart disease. This study was designed to provide nutrition education and teach lifestyle modification to fourteen Veteran's Affairs patients. Change in specific risk factors including Waist-to-Hip Ratio, Body Mass Index, serum lipid levels and dietary intakes were correlated with change in Conicity Index over the six month study. Results from the present study did not suggest that the Conicity Index would serve as an effective screening tool for the present population. Mean body weight, body mass index, hip circumference, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, total caloric and fat intake all decreased significantly as a result of the program. Through nutrition education, behavior modification and group support, the risk for heart disease was successfully modified in this population. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a light-moderate versus hard exercise intensity on health and fitness benefits in a previously sedentary population. Twenty-six subjects, 17 male (mean age 45 + 3 yrs), 9 female (mean age 48 + 3 yrs) with at least one coronary artery disease risk factor volunteered to participate in this study. Subjects underwent laboratory testing comprising of, resting heart rate and blood pressure, body composition, blood lipid analysis and aerobic capacity (V02 ), prior to and 22-32 weeks after participating > 2 days per week in the Adult Physical Fitness Program (APFP) at Ball State University. After an initial exercise prescription subjects self selected an exercise intensity between 40-80% of their maximal heart rate range (MHRR) at which to train. Subjects were then grouped into those who trained at < 60% (light-moderate) and those who trained at > 60% (hard) of their MHRR.Those that self selected a hard training intensity did show a significantly greater decrease in diastolic blood pressure than the light-moderate intensity group. Subjects received a main training effect with a mean decrease in systolic blood pressure (123 ± 2.8 to 119 ± 2.4 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (78 ± 2.2 to 75 ± 1.7 mmHg), and mean increases for HDL-cholesterol (49 ± 2.5 to 53 ± 2.8 mg/dL), absolute functional capacity (2.676 +.162 to 2.843 +.169 L/min) and relative functional capacity (30.2 ± 1.5 to 32.8 + 1.8 ml/kg/min). In conclusion this study demonstrated health and fitness benefits when training at least 2 days per week with greater effects when training at a hard versus light-moderate intensity with regards to diastolic blood pressure. / School of Physical Education

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome (MVPS) is a benign psychosomatic cardiac condition that can severely impair one's quality of life. Symptoms targeted in this study include, atypical chest pain, palpitations, anxiety, panic, and shortness of breath.This study was undertaken to examine the effects of a diaphragmatic breathing intervention on the symptoms and underlying mechanism of dysautonomia in a small group of symptomatic females with MVPS. The intervention was based on both yoga theory and cardiorespiratory empirical studies.Seven of eight participant's completed the nine week study using a single subject multiple baseline design across subjects. Participant's began a respiratory retraining intervention, in a weekly staggered pair start, after the first week of baseline measurement. Respiratory training consisted of a four week training in diaphragmatic breathing with home practice three times a day.Autonomic, behavioral, and cognitive systems were assessed. Dependent measures included State and Trait Anxiety, Anxiety Sensitivity, a Symptom Checklist, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA). RSA is a current noninvasive measure of parasympathetic tone. Data on thoracic and abdominal respiratory predominance, respiration rate, diet, exercise, and adherence were also gathered.Data were analyzed via visual inspection of trends and phase average changes. Treatment effect sizes were calculated for standardized measures to indicate the meaningfulness of change.Two of the seven participants demonstrated a decrease in total symptom frequencies over the course of intervention. One participant demonstrated a weekly progression of lowered state anxiety scores from baseline through intervention. In terms of phase averages, three participants showed a lowering of state anxiety. All seven participants demonstrated lowered trait anxiety scores from pre to post intervention. Two of the seven participants demonstrated a meaningful pre to post intervention decrease in anxiety sensitivity. Respiratory training was effective in stabilizing abdominal respiration. Results regarding vagal tone could not be determined due to unreliable ECG data.In general, results were poor with several inconsistencies. Adherence rates were low and it did not appear that a therapeutic level of change in respiration rate was achieved. Controlling respiration rate may be a critical factor in the therapeutic effectiveness of respiratory retraining interventions. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

[Truncated abstract. Formulae and special characters in this field can only be approximated. See PDF version for accurate reproduction.] Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been developed over the past two and a half decades to enable non-invasive assessment of soft tissues in the human body. MRI provides images of the tissues in the body with intensities weighted by nuclear magnetic relaxation properties of the tissue. Recent advances have utilised MRI as a quantitative tool with the nuclear magnetic relaxation rates in tissues being accurately quantified. One clinical application of quantitative MRI has been in the quantification of body iron stores in the management of iron overload diseases. MR images also contain information about the spatial variations of relaxation rates, which could be clinically useful. In the quantification of liver iron concentrations, proton transverse relaxation rate (R2) maps have been used not only to quantify iron concentrations but also to visualise the spatial variations. The work in this thesis addresses the use of spatial information from proton transverse relaxation rate maps in clinical practice. The quantitative spatial information contained in these maps is analysed in two clinically important settings, namely the non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis and the assessment of magnetic susceptibility artefacts in cardiac proton transverse relaxometry. Spatial distributions of liver R2 maps were quantified using texture measures based on grey-tone spatial dependence (GTSD) matrices. Some of these measures gave a statistically significant distinction between patients with minimal or no fibrosis and those with fibrosis or cirrhosis. Distinction of fibrosis using this technique was enhanced in subjects with iron overload diseases, suggesting that iron is required as a contrast agent for sufficient sensitivity of image texture to fibrosis. In subjects with low tissue iron concentrations, tissue hydration was observed to also have an influence on R2. In patients with end stage liver disease, a model combining tissue iron concentration and tissue hydration gave a better prediction of R2 than iron concentration alone. A model combining several of the texture measures was developed using logistic regression and was found to improve distinction of high-grade fibrosis from low-grade fibrosis. For the distinction of F0 and F1 fibrosis stages (as assessed by the METAVIR system) from F2 and above the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.75. As this model was developed using a cohort of subjects with varying pathologies, the performance of the model is expected to improve if only iron-loaded subjects are considered.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes results of four studies conducted at the University of Oregon. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-244). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Diss. Ronneby : Tekn. högsk., 2002.

Thesis (Ph.D. )--University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2007. / Title from title page screen (viewed on May 16, 2008 ). Research advisor: Gerald I. Byrne, Ph.D. Document formatted into pages (xi, 114 p. : ill.). Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-107).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Skrinjar, Oskar; Committee Member: Oshinski, John; Committee Member: Tannenbaum, Allen; Committee Member: Vela, Patricio; Committee Member: Yezzi, Anthony

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1982.