Discussion section topic sentences: example 1

advertisement

Discussion section topic sentences: example 1

Blair, S.N., et al. (1989). Physical fitness and all-cause mortality: A prospective study of healthy mean and women. JAMA 262(17), 2395-2401.

The results presented herein show a strong and graded association between physical fitness and mortality due to all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. . . .

Cardiovascular Disease

There are four published studies on low physical fitness and increased risk of fatal and nonfatal CHD in men. (19-22) and five on fatal CHD (22-26). . . .

The RRs reported here are higher than the average RR in studies of physical activity and

CHD (approximately 2.0 as calculated by Powell et al.[7]).

Physical fitness and CHD in women has not been thoroughly studied.

All-Cause Mortality

All-cause mortality rates show a strong inverse association across fitness groups in both men and women in the present study.

Other possible confounders must be considered.

There are several possible biologic mechanisms to account for reduced mortality risk in fit individuals.

Physical fitness at baseline was objectively measured by a maximal exercise test.

Physical fitness has both genetic and environmental determinants.

The representativeness of our population must be considered.

In summary, the results reported here show a strong, graded, and consistent inverse relationships between physical fitness an mortality in men and women.

Discussion section topic sentences: example 2

Gibbons, L.W., et al. (1983). Association between coronary heart disease risk factors and physical fitness in healthy adult women. Circulation 67(5), 977-983.

The association between treadmill time as a measure of cardiovascular fitness and several important CHD risk factors does not, of course, establish a relationship between fitness and changes in those risk factors.

Exam year (1970-1980) was included as an independent variable when it became clear in data analysis that women examined in the later years of the study had more favorable risk factor profiles.

Our previous cross-sectional study of total cholesterol levels and fitness in men shows a small but significant inverse relationship.

There is much more evidence for an association of triglyceride levels with fitness than for total cholesterol and fitness.

There is a significant amount of cross-sectional data relating higher levels of HDL cholesterol to higher levels of physical activity in men (15-17).

The strongest association with fitness among the risk factors we have studied was the relationship between fitness and TC/HDL-C.

A few longitudinal studies have demonstrated decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in response to endurance exercise programs, but change in blood pressure documented in most studies is modest (20,21).

The demonstrated association between fitness and lower rates of smoking is interesting but not surprising.

Even though these associations between fitness and various CHD risk factors are statistically significant, the amount of variance in risk actors accounted for by fitness was small in these healthy women.

The associations between fitness and CHD risk factors discussed in this paper should be examined in a longitudinal setting before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Discussion section topic sentences: example 3

Audera, C., et al. (2001). Mega-dose vitamin C in treatment of the common cold: A randomised controlled trial. MJA 175, 359-362.

Our study found no significant differences in severity or duration of cold symptoms between groups who took low-dose (placebo) and high-dose vitamin C as treatment for the common cold.

The Cochrane and other reviews of the published evidence on high-dose vitamin C and the common cold have drawn attention to the relatively consistent trend for those taking prophylactic doses in excess of 1 g daily to experience some reduction in duration or severity of colds. (1, 7-9)

The main weakness of our study is that it necessarily relied on study participants to decide when the criteria for commencing medication were met and to provide all outcome data.

The focus on the university community meant a potential bias in socioeconomic and educational status of participants.

Our target of 75 colds in each treatment group was not reached, despite extension of the study and repeated reminder letters to participants.

Our study had medication groups of comparable size, and for each medication group colds were found to have occurred across the entire study period.

The average time between symptom onset and medication use was 13 hours, although we encouraged participants to begin medication as soon as four hours after they were certain that a cold was developing.

The power of our study to detect a possible significant difference in symptom severity and duration after high-dose vitamin C treatment was limited by the smaller than expected participation rate.

It is time to question again the wisdom and utility of the wide practice of well nourished adults taking mega-doses of vitamin C to treat the common cold., a practice which has become prevalent worldwide since the advocacy of Linus Pauling in the early 1970s.

(12,13)

Download