University of South Carolina

About: University of South Carolina is a education organization based out in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 25792 authors who have published 59995 publications receiving 2246122 citations. The organization is also known as: USC & U.S.C..

Moderate physical activity patterns of minority women: the Cross-Cultural Activity Participation Study.

Abstract: Using data from 12 days of detailed physical activity records (PA records), we analyzed the physical activity patterns of 141 African American and Native American women, ages 40 and older, enrolled in the Cross-Cultural Activity Participation Study. PA records were completed every other month for three consecutive 4-day periods. The proportion of women who met the 1993 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine recommendation to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity during most days of the week (at least 3 days of the 4-day periods) ranged from 63% to 70%. Nearly one third of women met the recommendation for more than one 4-day period. On days when subjects accumulated at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, time spent in moderate activity was 112 minutes/day. Most women performed household chores (95%, median = 24 minutes/day), walking for exercise (87%, median = 30 minutes/day), occupational (65%, median = 37 minutes/day), child care (53%, median = 32 minutes/day), and lawn and garden activities (51%, median = 43 minutes/day). Fewer than 25% reported conditioning and sports activities. In general, more Native Americans than African Americans were active in moderate activities. In conclusion, definitions used to characterize regular physical activity should be consistent among studies, and physical activity surveys among women should include occupation-related and home-related activities.

Collagen expression in mechanically stimulated cardiac fibroblasts.

Abstract: The cardiac extracellular matrix, composed predominantly of collagenous fibers, forms a stress-tolerant network that facilitates the distribution of forces generated in the heart and provides for proper alignment of cardiac myocytes. Although considerable information exists regarding the morphological organization of the heart extracellular matrix, little is known about the regulation of the synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix components. A potentially significant factor in the cardiovascular system is mechanical stimulation including changes in physical tension and pressure. We recently have developed an in vitro model system to elucidate the effects of mechanical stretch on isolated populations of heart cells. In the present study, we have used biochemical and molecular biological techniques to analyze changes in collagen synthesis by cardiac fibroblasts in response to mechanical stretch. These studies show that the ratio of collagen type III to collagen type I increases in mechanically stretched cells. They also show that type III collagen mRNA levels are increased in response to cyclic mechanical stretch for durations as short as 12 hours. Type I collagen mRNA levels were not found to change under the stretch conditions used in this study. Our results emphasize the potential regulatory role of mechanical stimulation in the expression of specific genes in the heart and support previous studies indicating this to be an intriguing in vitro model of cardiac hypertrophy.

Community science: bridging the gap between science and practice with community-centered models.

Abstract: A major goal of community science is to improve the quality of life in our communities by improving the quality of the practice of treatment, prevention, health promotion, and education. Community science is an interdisciplinary field, which develops and researches community-centered models that enable communities to use evidence-based interventions more effectively and efficiently. In this article, the gap between science and practice and the need to bridge the gap with new models serve as an entry point and guide to the development of a community science. Therefore, the article describes (1) the “prevention science” model of bringing science to practice, (2) why this model is necessary but not sufficient for influencing the quality of interventions in our everyday world, (3) the gap between science and practice and the need to integrate “prevention science” models with community-centered models in order to bridge the gap, and (4) features of community science.