Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2004
Comparative StudyHormone replacement, race, and psychological health in women: a report from the NHLBI-Sponsored WISE Study.
We analyzed the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on psychological factors in white and black women. We hypothesized that both groups of women would have fewer symptoms of depression and lower hostility scores associated with HRT use. ⋯ We observed racial differences in associations between HRT use and psychological health. Within the white but not the black HRT users, there were fewer symptoms of depression and lower aggression and cynicism scores.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2004
Relationships of insulin sensitivity with fatness and fitness and in older men and women.
Increased body fatness, especially abdominal obesity, and low levels of fitness are associated with decreased insulin sensitivity. Men and women differ in obesity, body fat distribution, and fitness levels. This cross-sectional study evaluated sex differences in the relationships of insulin sensitivity with fatness and fitness and obesity. ⋯ Abdominal obesity among women and fitness among men were the strongest determinants of insulin sensitivity in this older cohort. This raises the question whether there are sex differences in the lifestyle changes that would be most effective in improving insulin sensitivity.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study: design and baseline characteristics of participants.
The evidence for a potential benefit of antioxidant vitamins and folic acid in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention is derived from laboratory, clinical, and observational epidemiological studies but remains inconclusive. Large-scale randomized trials with clinical end points are necessary to minimize confounding and provide unbiased estimates of the balance of benefits and risks, yet data from such trials are scarce, especially among women. ⋯ The similar distribution of known potential confounders across treatment groups provides reassurance that unmeasured or unknown potential confounders are also equally distributed. Although a definitive conclusion regarding generalizability requires additional trials in diverse populations, there is little biological basis for supposing that the benefit-risk balance differs in other high-risk women.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2004
Sex differences in COPD and lung cancer mortality trends--United States, 1968-1999.
Cigarette smoking by U.S. women in the 1940s and 1950s caused large increases in smoking-related lung disease among women. To determine the magnitude of these increases, we compared the mortality trends for males and females in the United States for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer for 1968-1999. ⋯ Physicians, women, and groups interested in women's health issues need to be aware of these trends and target prevention strategies toward females.