Related Experiment Videos
Association between hostility and plasma total homocysteine concentrations in a general population sample
Charalabos Papageorgiou1, Christos Pitsavos, Demosthenes B Panagiotakos
1Psychiatric Clinic, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Neuropsychobiology
|December 2, 2005
Summary
Certain hostility traits, like extrapunitive hostility and delusional guilt, are linked to higher plasma homocysteine levels. This suggests hostility dimensions may be coronary heart disease risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Psychology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Hostility is a personality trait linked to adverse health outcomes.
- Plasma homocysteine is an amino acid with established links to cardiovascular disease.
- Understanding the interplay between psychological factors and cardiovascular risk is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between various dimensions of hostility and plasma homocysteine levels.
- To determine if hostility is an independent risk factor for elevated homocysteine in a general population.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 410 healthy adults from Greece completed a multidimensional hostility questionnaire.
- Blood samples were analyzed for homocysteine concentrations.
- Statistical analyses controlled for confounders including age, gender, education, smoking, and BMI.
Main Results:
- Total hostility, extrapunitive hostility, and delusional guilt showed a positive association with homocysteine levels.
- Self-criticism demonstrated a negative association with homocysteine.
- These relationships persisted after adjusting for potential confounders.
Conclusions:
- Specific dimensions of hostility are significantly associated with elevated plasma homocysteine.
- These findings support the inclusion of hostility dimensions within the spectrum of coronary heart disease risk factors.
- Further research into the psychological and biological mechanisms is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
Cardiac biomarkers are critical in diagnosing, prognosing, and managing cardiovascular diseases. Routine measurement of specific biomarkers such as B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and homocysteine (Hcy) is common practice in clinical settings to evaluate heart function and predict cardiovascular events.
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
01:23Test for Homogeneity
The goodness–of–fit test can be used to decide whether a population fits a given distribution, but it will not suffice to decide whether two populations follow the same unknown distribution. A different test, called the test for homogeneity, can be used to conclude whether two populations have the same distribution. To calculate the test statistic for a test for homogeneity, follow the same procedure as with the test of independence. The hypotheses for the test for homogeneity can be stated as...