bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Birth seasonality and the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases in the native population of Guam
Authors: Underwood J. H.
Published: June 2005

Analyses of data from a linked family register for the native population of Guam reveal marked birth seasonality in nearly 27,000 livebirths registered during the period 1901–1941. In contrast to a November peak for all births, victims of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who died between 1947 and 1984 show a maximum birth peak in February while those afflicted with parkinsonism‐dementia (PD) and dying during this period exhibit a bimodal pattern of births peaking in April and October. Birth seasonality in victims of neurologic diseases, including ALS and parkinsonism, has also been reported from Japan. Intensive clinical, genetic, epidemiologic, and other investigations over more than three decades, while noting familial patterns of occurrence, fail to reveal any simple pattern of genetic transmission in the etiology of ALS/PD among natives of Guam, site of one of three hyperendemic foci in the Pacific area for ALS. Several environmental agents have been proposed to account for familial, temporal, and local patterns of occurrence, although no hypothesis has remained unchallenged. This report reviews evidence of birth seasonality in relation to patterns of cycad ingestion, rainfall seasonality, and prevailing morbidity patterns of the period. Despite earlier failures to identify antibody markers or a slow‐acting virus in ALS victims, the probable role of an arbovirus in a complex etiology of the disease is presented. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Allele sharing at six VNTR loci and genetic distances among three ethnically defined human populations
Authors: Chakraborty Ranajit , Deka Ranjan , Jin Li , Ferrell Robert E.
Published: June 2005

Because of their high degree of polymorphisms, the variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci have become extremely useful in studies involving gene mapping, determination of identity and relatedness of individuals, and evolutionary relationships among populations. However, there are some concerns regarding whether or not the patterns of such genetic variation can be studied by the classical population models that are developed for studying genetic variation at blood groups and protein loci, since VNTR alleles detected by molecular size may not always be identical by descent. Although theoretical and empirical studies demonstrate that this concern is overstated, this study provides further support of the application of the traditional mutation‐drift models to predict the pattern of intra‐ and inter‐populational variation at VNTR loci. By comparing genetic variation at six VNTR loci with that at 16 blood groups and protein loci in three ethnically defined populations, we show that the patterns of variability at these two sets of loci are in general parallel to each other. Shared VNTR alleles among populations are generally more frequent than the ones which are not present in every population; the proportion of shared alleles among populations increases with increasing genetic similarity of populations; and the number of VNTR alleles is positively correlated with gene diversity at these loci. All of these observations are in agreement with the prediction of the mutation‐drift models, particularly when the possibility of forward‐backward mutations are taken into account. This parallelism of genetic variation at VNTR loci and blood groups/protein loci further asserts the potential of using such hypervariable loci for microevoltionary studies, where closely related populations may exhibit considerably less allele frequency differences at the classical blood group and protein loci. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A revised equation for estimating thigh muscle and bone area from anthropometric dimensions
Authors: Tanaka Shigeho , Shiraki Hitoshi , Machida Nozomu
Published: June 2005

The accuracy of an anthropometric equation for estimating thigh muscle and bone area (MBA) and fat area (FA) was examined in two groups of Japanese male university students, an athletic group (n = 31) and a non‐athletic group (n = 18). The anthropometric equation examined included the anterior thigh skinfold (SFT) and thigh circumference (CF): (CF – π × SFT)2/4π. Actual MBA and FA were calculated by means of a computed tomography (CT) scan. The anthropometric equation overestimated MBA and underestimated FA, although the estimated values were strongly correlated with actual values. In addition, total thigh area was also overestimated by using thigh circumference. As MBA increased, the difference between estimated and actual MBA increased. Regression analysis using estimated MBA through an anthropometric equation was also done. The resulting equation was as follows: MBA = c1 × (CF – π × SFT)2/4π + c2, where the value of (CF – π × SFT)2/4π was the estimated MBA through the first anthropometric equation. The mean ratio of the residual to actual MBA was very small, 2.8% in the athletic group and 3.3% in the non‐athletic group. When a non‐linear model (MBA = (k1 × CF – k2 × π × SFT)2/4π + k3) was applied, the ratio was almost the same, 2.7 and 3.2% in the athletic and non‐athletic groups, respectively. The equation for all subjects in this study was as follows: thigh MBA = 0.706 × (CF – π × SFT)2/4π + 27.94. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of skin thickness and skinfold compressibility on skinfold thickness measurement
Authors: Martin A. D. , Drinkwater D. T. , Clarys J. P. , Daniel M. , Ross W. D.
Published: June 2005

Variability in both skin thickness and skinfold compressibility affects the relationship between the skinfold caliper reading at a particular site on the body and the actual adipose thickness at that site, thus inducing error in the estimation of body fatness. To investigate this variability, skinfold thickness by caliper and incised depth of subcutaneous adipose tissue were measured at 13 skinfold sites in 6 male and 7 female unembalmed cadavers aged 55 to 94 years. All skin was then removed and its thickness measured at the exact sites of skinfold measurement. The regional patterns for skin thickness were similar in men and women, though women had significantly (P < .05) thinner skin than men at the biceps, chest, supraspinale, and abdominal sites. Mean (SD) skin thickness for each cadaver over all sites ranged from 0.76 mm (0.28 mm) to 1.47 mm (0.43 mm), with an overall mean for men of 1.22 mm (0.36 mm) and for women of 0.98 mm (0.36 mm). The thickness of a double layer of skin expressed as a percentage of skinfold thickness for all cadavers over all 13 sites ranged from 7.1% to 33.4%. Because of their leanness and thicker skin, the mean for men, 22.7% (10.1%), was significantly greater than that for women, 10.8% (6.2%) (P < .0001). Mean skinfold compressibility over all sites was 53.5% (16.4%) in men adn 51.9% (16.5%) in women (not significant). Such marked variability in skinfold compressibility and in the relative contribution of skin thickness to skinfold thickness suggests the need for caution in comparing estimates of fatness by skinfold caliper between different subjects. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
FELS, Greulich‐Pyle, and Tanner‐Whitehouse bone age assessments in a group of Italian children and adolescents
Authors: Vignolo M. , Milani S. , Cerbello G. , Coroli P. , Di Battista E. , Aicardi G.
Published: June 2005

Assessments of skeletal maturity are usually made from handwrist radiographs, using either the method of Greulich‐Pyle (GP) or Tanner‐Whitehouse (TW). Recently the FELS method has been developed, and it represents a potentially valuable approach to skeletal age assessment. The present study evaluates the accuracy and precision of FELS skeletal age assessments compared with ratings by the GP and TW methods in a group of Italian children and adolescents. The hand‐wrist radiographs of subjects (171 males and 156 females 1 to 17 years) referred to the “Istituto di Puericultura e Medicina Neonatale” of the University of Genoa in Italy between 1985 and 1990 were assessed according to each method. Two independent observers rated the radiographs and one observer reassessed them after 6 months or more. GP estimates rather closely match chronological age; TW ratings tend to overestimate chronological age by 7–9 months around puberty, mainly in boys; and the FELS method tends to overestimate chronological age by amounts that increase with chronological age. The degree of precision of skeletal age assessments is within the usually accepted limits. Higher levels of repeatability and reproducibility are apparent for the FELS estimates than for GP and TW assessments. Thus, skeletal maturity is likely to be adequately interpreted by the FELS method as well as by the more commonly used GP and TW systems in Italian children and adolescents. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fat patterning of adolescents: Allometry of fatfolds
Authors: Becque M. Daniel , Hattori Komei , Katch Victor L. , Rocchini Albert P.
Published: June 2005

The relationship between fatfold thickness and fat mass of 101 male and 66 female adolescents (10–16 yr) was examined with the allometric equation y = bxa. Body composition was assessed by underwater weighing and 5 fatfolds were measured: triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, abdominal, and thigh. Percent body fat ranged from 4.9% to 56.1%. The log of each fatfold thickness was plotted versus the log of fat mass. All the relationships were linear and exhibited monophasic allometry. All the alpha coefficients (slope of the log‐log plots) exhibited positive allometry. The prepubescent male and female alphas were similar and had the same pattern. The pattern contrasted the trunk with the extremity fatfolds. No differences (P > .05) were found between the alphas for the pubescent males. The triceps alpha of the pubescent females was less (P < .05) than the subscapular, suprailiac, and abdominal alphas. The thigh, subscapular, suprailiac, and abdominal alphas were not significantly (P > .05) different. In conclusion, the trunk was the predominant site of subcutaneous fat deposition for prepubescents, while pubescents exhibit a more general pattern of fat distribution. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Maximal voluntary isometric force production characteristics of six muscle groups in women aged 25 to 74 years
Authors: Christ C. B. , Boileau R. A. , Slaughter M. H. , Stillman R. J. , Cameron J. A. , Massey B. H.
Published: June 2005

The age‐related force production characteristics of six muscle groups in 143 women aged 25–74 years were examined. Measures of maximal force (MFR) were obtained on the finger flexors (FF), thumb extensors (TE), forearm flexors (FAF), forearm extensors (FAE), dorsi flexors (DF), and plantar flexors (PF) utilizing a linear voltage differential transducer. The subjects were categorized by age into ten 5‐year groups. The magnitude of decline across age in MFR ranged from 36.2% (FAE) to 45.1% (PF). There were differences among muscle groups in the age at which a significant decline in MFR was first detected. The earliest drop off in MFR was observed in FF and FAF (45–49 years), while the latest significant decline across age was noted in FAE (65–69 years). Since the magnitude of maximal force decreases with age, and because these characteristics can not be entirely explained by age‐related decrements in fat‐free mass, it appears that the quality in addition to the quantity of senescent muscle tissue may be compromised. However, the magnitude of decline in maximal force is dependent upon the muscle group considered. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Body composition prediction equations based on bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric variables for Japanese obese women
Authors: Tanaka Kiyoji , Nakadomo Fumio , Watanabe Kanji , Inagaki Atsushi , Kim Hun Kyung , Matsuura Yoshiyuki
Published: June 2005

The tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance (BI) technique has been proposed as a convenient, valid approach to estimate body composition in normal, healthy adults. However, the validity of the BI technique for obese individuals is undetermined. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of body composition estimated from the BI method when compared to underwater weighing with correction for residual volume, and to develop a convenient, useful equation that would sufficiently predict body composition of Japanese obese women. The order of assessing body composition was randomized for each subject. The subjects were 75 moderately or mildly obese women with a body fat content of 25.1–60.1%, aged 18–68 years. Among 12 independent variables which were arbitrarily selected as possible predictors of hydrodensitometrically determined body density (Db), BM Z/S2 was the best predictor (r = 0.803, n = 53), where BM = body mass (kg), Z = impedance (ohms), and S = stature (cm). When chronological age was added in a multiple regression analysis, Db was derived with higher accuracy (r = 0.878) with an SEE of 0.0064 g/cm3. The linear multiple regression equation constructed for predicting the Db was, for instance, Db = 1.1171 – 0.0535BM Z/S2 – 0.0003 Age – 0.0005T, where T = triceps skinfold thickness (mm). Three equations developed in the present study were then cross‐validated in a different sample (n = 22) of obese women. The results indicated that the above equation had the lowest SEE (0.0070 g/cm3). We suggest that body composition of Japanese obese women can be predicted with relatively high accuracy by a combination of BM Z/S2 with age and the triceps skinfold thickness. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multilevel models for repeated measures: A flexible approach for studying dental arch morphology
Authors: Tanguay Richard , Buschang Peter H. , Goldstein Harvey
Published: June 2005

Traditional OLS and recently developed multilevel IGLS statistical techniques for analyzing repeated measures are compared and contrasted. Comparisons are based on arch width measurements for a mixed‐longitudinal sample of 166 boys and girls. The multilevel IGLS procedures produce estimates that are more stable and meaningful than OLS estimates; sex differences are consistent for both the deciduous and permanent dentitions, maxillary widths are related to chronological age, and standard errors are consistently smaller based on the IGLS procedures. The multilevel procedures are also able to estimate variances and covariances—even when all measurements are not available for each subject—which can be used for predicting arch length. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Body composition by bioelectric impedance and densitometry in black women
Authors: Sparling P. B. , Millard‐Stafford M. , Rosskopf L. B. , Dicarlo L. J. , Hinson B. T.
Published: June 2005

Limited body composition data are available on the adult black population, particularly women. This study examined the accuracy of bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) in predicting hydrostatically measured percentage body fat (% fat) in 98 physically active, eumenorrheic black females. BIA values were also compared to a standard anthropometric method using seven skinfolds. Whole‐body bioresistance (R) was obtained using an RJL Instrument Model BIA‐101. Fat‐free mass (FFM) was predicted from the equation of Lukaski et al. (J. Appl. Physiol. 60:1327–1332, 1986). Body density was measured by hydrostatic weighing (HW) with residual lung volume determined simultaneously. Percent fat was calculated using the Siri (Techniques for Measuring Body Composition, Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, pp. 223–244, 1961) equation. Compared to HW, BIA significantly underestimated mean FFM (42.8 kg vs. 47.0 kg) and overestimated mean % fat (30.2% vs. 23.4%). Conversely, prediction of % fat and FFM from the sum of seven skinfolds were similar to the criterion values from HW (22.7% vs. 23.4%; 47.4 kg vs. 47.0 kg). Although standard errors of the estimate (SEEs) were similar for BIA (±4.0%) and skinfold (±3.5%) methods, the systematic overestimation of % fat with BIA resulted in only 27 out of 98 black women (28%) having a predicted % fat value within ±4 percentage points of the criterion % fat. In a group of white women (n = 116), % fat values (mean ± SD) were similar between BIA and HW (25.6% ± 6.5 vs. 24.3 ± 5.6). An explanation for this observed racial difference is not readily discernible. Probable variables that may contribute to the higher whole body resistance values for black women include racial differences in skin resistance, body shape and proportions, and relative bone and muscle mass. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Family resemblance for Preece‐Baines growth curve parameters in the fels longitudinal growth study
Authors: Byard Pamela J. , Guo Shumei , Roche Alex F.
Published: June 2005

The Preece‐Baines Model 1 (PB1) nonlinear regression equation was fit to serial stature measurements from 456 participants in the Fels Longitudinal Growth Study. The resulting model parameters and derived biological parameters, such as age, stature, and velocity at take‐off (TO) and peak velocity (PV) are analyzed for family resemblance in 228 nuclear families through estimation of familial correlations and path coefficients. Significant family resemblance was found for all of the growth parameters. Transmissibility estimates ranged from 41%–71%, suggesting that some of the factors controlling the timing and shape of the adolescent growth spurt are transmitted from parent to child. Significant gender effects were found in sibling resemblance, with brother‐brother pairs more similar than other pairs for age at TO and PV and sister‐sister pairs more alike for stature at TO and PV and for velocity at PV. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relationship between mother's age and health care received by the firstborn child
Authors: Mascie‐Taylor C. G. Nicholas , Kaplan Bernice A.
Published: June 2005

Data from a British national study of all children born in one week of 1958 were used to test whether there was any relationship between the age of the mother at the time of the birth of her first child and the health care received by the child up to 7 years of age. This relationship was tested before and after statistically removing the effects of several potentially confounding social factors (social class, education level, and housing facilities), which were thought to associate with maternal age. The results indicated that maternal age effects were significant for attendance at infant and toddler clinics, but generally less important than social factors for immunization acceptances. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Application of growth models in the analysis of pathological growth data: The case of hypophosphatemic vitamin D‐resistant rickets
Authors: Hauspie Roland C. , Steendijk Robert
Published: June 2005

Growth in height of 16 patients suffering from hypophosphatemic vitamin D‐resistant rickets (HR) was analyzed by means of three nonlinear growth models: the Preece Baines function, the JPPS model, and the triple logistic function. The data were purely longitudinal, covering age ranges from childhood to adulthood, with an average of 3 measurements per year. All three models proved to fit the growth pattern of HR patients with the same degree of accuracy as they do for healthy children, indicating that, despite their small height‐for‐age and their disproportionately short stature, these patients had a quite normal overall shape of their growth pattern. The JPPS model was particularly appropriate to describe the individual growth pattern of these patients, since the fit of this model was quite robust towards the choice of starting values for the numerical least‐squares technique, and the model estimated biological variables in a fairly unbiased way. Analysis of the residuals suggested that in 5 of the 16 patients there was evidence of short‐term variations in growth rate (mini‐spurts), such as have been described in healthy children. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cell‐mediated immunocompetence among nomadic Turkana children
Authors: Shell‐Duncan Bettina
Published: June 2005

Cell‐mediated immune function is readily impaired by nutritional and disease stress, while depressed cellular immunity, in turn, increases an individual's susceptibility to infection. The measurement of cellular immunity through delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) testing can provide important prognostic information, including the prediction of future health and survival, and can easily be performed in nonclinical settings. In a sample of 64 nomadic Turkana children, DTH response was measured seasonally by the simultaneous application of five standardized recall antigens and a glycerin control (Multiest CMI®). Reactivity, measured by mm of induration, varied substantially by antigen, with tuberculin eliciting the strongest response. However, the majority of children (56.2%) were nonreactive to all administered test antigens, indicating a level of anergy significantly higher than that found in U.S. and Peruvian juvenile populations. DTH response did not vary by sex or age of the subject. In addition, immunocompetence did not fluctuate seasonally. These results suggest that the level of immunosuppression found among Turkana children is extremely high, and may be an important determinant of the high rates of morbidity and mortality found in this population. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cohort effects: A possible limitation to the interpretation of longitudinal studies
Authors: Labarre Robert , Lavallée H. , Shephard Roy. J. , Jéquier J.‐C. , Rajic M.
Published: June 2005

The possible limitation that cohort effects could impose upon the interpretation of longitudinal research has been examined, taking data on the standing height and the maximal oxygen intake of 546 primary school students participating in the Trois Rivières mixed‐longitudinal study of enhanced physical education programs (295 experimental and 251 control subjects of both sexes). Over the short period of the study (maximum intercohort time span of 4 years), no significant differences in standing height were observed. In the larger urban community of Trois Rivières (population about 100,000), where the program of additional physical education was very successful in augmenting the maximal oxygen intake of the experimental students, a statistically significant intercohort difference of aerobic power developed among control students over the span of 3–4 years. However, in Pont Rouge (population about 5,000), where the added physical education had a smaller impact upon the maximal oxygen intake of the experimental students, there were no significant intercohort differences. Among possible explanations of the intercohort difference seen in Trois Rivières, the most likely seems an indirect effect of the experimental physical education program upon the patterns of habitual physical activity in the control population. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Raymond Pearl memorial lecture, 1992: Ethnicity and disease—more than familiality
Authors: Schull William J.
Published: June 2005

It has long been recognized that the prevalence of many, possibly most diseases differs among different ethnic groups, and it is further known that cultural differences among people affect the acceptability of measures to prevent or ameliorate a given disease process. Major public health challenges of our time are the delineation and understanding of how these differences in prevalence arise, and the fashioning of acceptable and effective intervention strategies. The web of causation is undoubtedly complex and in the unraveling there will be a need to examine new paradigms, new models of how genes and environments interact in the evolution of disease. These models must recognize the levels within the disease process where interactions can occur. This will demand a holistic rather than the reductionist approach that has obtained in the past. However, there are promising developments at the molecular and cellular levels, and the methods of data analysis grow progressively more sophisticated. This presentation briefly describes the methods of and problems confronted by genetic epidemiology in the context of studies of ethnic differences in disease. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diabetes mellitus among native Americans in Canada and the United States: An epidemiological review
Authors: Young T. Kue
Published: June 2005

Considerable ethnic variation in the prevalence of non–insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is recognized around the world and provides an interesting case study in the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in disease causation and distribution. Over the past one half century, numerous studies have shown that Native Americans, with some exceptions such as Arctic Eskimos and subarctic Athapaskan Indians, are generally a high risk group for NIDDM. There are, however, regional differences, reflecting the differential effects of genetic susceptibility, level of acculturation, and the contributions of specific risk factors such as physical activity, diet, and obesity. This paper reviews the extensive epidemiological, clinical, and anthropological literature on NIDDM among Native Americans in Canada and the United States. It discusses the extent and magnitude of the problem, etiology and risk factors, the public health impact of its serious complications, strategies for prevention and control, and current attempts to explain the prominence of this metabolic disorder among the indigenous inhabitants of the New World. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Epidemiology of early cardiovascular disease: Observations from the Bogalusa heart study
Authors: Webber Larry S. , Srinivasan Sathanur R. , Berenson Gerald S.
Published: June 2005

Cardiovascular risk factors associated with underlying coronary artery and hypertensive disease develop during childhood. Race‐ and sex‐specific observations from childhood to young adulthood provide clues to the clinical presentation of cardiovascular disease risk later in life. Of particular interest are observations on distributions of levels, tracking, and determinants of lipoproteins and blood pressure, and the impact of obesity on cardiovascular risk during transition periods of growth and maturation. Mean levels of serum lipids and lipoproteins reach adult levels by 2 years of age. After a slight decline during puberty, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) rises rapidly in young adulthood while high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) declines during adolescence to reach adult levels, particularly for White males. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures tend to increase with growth until adult stature is reached with somewhat higher levels seen in Blacks. Significant consistency in ranks over time (tracking) is noted. The single best predictor of young adult levels is the level during childhood. Obesity and lifestyles influence lipoprotein levels early in life with risk factor variables clustering just as in adults. Autopsy studies reveal a significant relation of coronary artery lesions to adverse lipoprotein profiles, blood pressure and obesity, especially in males, underlying the importance of multiple risk factors. These observations emphasize the need for developing preventive approaches to adult cardiovascular disease beginning in childhood. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of bone mineral content and bone mineral density between dominant and nondominant limbs in children 8–16 years of age
Authors: Faulkner R. A. , Houston C. S. , Bailey D. A. , Drinkwater D. T. , McKay H. A. , Wilkinson A. A.
Published: June 2005

The bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and bone free lean tissue (BFLT) of dominant limbs were compared to nondominant values in girls and boys 8–16 years of age (girls, n = 124; boys, n = 110). Results showed that BMC, BMD, and BFLT of the dominant arm was significantly greater than of the nondominant arm (P < .01). The differences were found for both boys and girls and across all age groups except for 8 to 9‐year‐old boys for BMC. There were no differences in BMC or BMD in the legs, but the dominant leg had significantly greater BFLT than the nondominant leg (P < .01). The greater BMC and BMD values of the dominant arm are likely a result of greater mechanical loading (resulting from normal daily activities) of the dominant arm; this speculation is supported by the greater muscularity in the dominant arm. In the legs it is likely that weight bearing and not bias muscular activity is more important in determining bone mineral status. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Examination of the skinfold compressibility and skinfold thickness relationship
Authors: Ward Richard , Anderson Gregory
Published: June 2005

This study examined the relationship between skinfold compressibility and skinfold thickness while proposing a 3‐caliper technique for the estimation of uncompressed skinfold thickness. Skinfold and ultrasound measurements of skin‐plus‐adipose tissue were made at seven sites on 15 females (mean age 22.0 yr) and 13 males (mean age 23.2 yr.) The estimated uncompressed thickness (ZT) determined with the 3‐caliper technique correlated well with ultrasound‐determined thickness (UT), with the 3‐caliper technique offering a valid, simple and inexpensive method of estimating uncompressed skinfold thickness. Using linear regression analyses, skinfold compressibility varied with skinfold thickness. Using a compression percentage [C(Z/10)], both UT and ZT exhibited positive slopes with tissue compressibility. The concept of absolute thickness change (TD) from uncompressed (ZT) to compressed (H10) thickness values was adopted for use in covariance analysis in the assessment of gender and site differences in skinfold compressibility and was compared to results of traditional compression percentage analysis of variance. In a second sample of 40 males (mean age 25.7 yr) and 30 females (mean age 25.0 yr), a significant site difference was found using compression percentage ANOVA which was not present using the TD ANCOVA. This difference in results may be due to the fact that compression percentage is linearly related to thickness even though it is included as the denominator in the calculation of compression percentage. It was concluded that the TD covariance method should be used in preference to the compression percentage ANOVA when evaluating skinfold compressibility differences in gender, age and site of measurement. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The practice of terminal abstinence in Nigeria and Cameroon
Authors: Leidy Lynnette E.
Published: June 2005

World Fertility Survey (WFS) data from Nigeria and Cameroon are used to examine the practice of permanent sexual abstinence in relation to menopause status to test the assumption that terminal abstinence may represent a “cultural menopause.” Terminal abstinence is also examined in relation to cumulative fertility to determine if the cultural practice of abstinence at the biological end of reproductive life affects lifetime fertility. Among married, not pregnant women ages 31–49, the frequency of terminal abstinence is 4.3% in Nigeria and 4.6% in Cameroon. The frequency of terminal abstinence increases with age. Using probit analysis, the median age at menopause precedes the median age at terminal abstinence. Chi‐square tests indicate significant relationships between terminal abstinence and menopausal status, although the relationships are country specific. Women in Nigeria who report terminal abstinence are more likely to be pre‐menopausal, while in Cameroon terminally abstinent women are more likely to be post‐menopausal. ANOVA and t‐tests demonstrate no significant relationship between terminal abstinence and cumulative fertility, although there are significant relationship between terminal abstinence and number of miscarriages, religion, education (in Cameroon), and having grandchildren through sons (in Nigeria). The timing of terminal abstinence is considered in relation to various time scales: chronological age, family stage, and reproductive stage. In Nigeria the scale of family stage appears to be important in determining the timing of terminal abstinence, while in Cameroon the scale is more likely to be gynecological. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
D1S80 polymorphism, including a new variant, in a population sample from Barcelona (Spain) using polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Gené Manel , Moreno Pasqual , Huguet Emili , Corbella Jacint , Mezquita Jovita
Published: June 2005

Allele and genotype frequencies for the D1S80 (MCT118) locus have been determined in a population sample from Barcelona (Spain) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and nonradioactive detection. In a total of 216 unrelated individuals, 24 alleles (23 common and 1 rare variant) and 67 genotypes (64 common and 3 variants) were observed. The 216 individuals came from 162 blood samples taken for paternity studies, 16 bloodstains from forensic cases, and 38 root hairs from normal individuals. The D1S80 locus demonstrated a heterozygosity of 0.7916, and a power of discrimination of 0.9731. The distribution of genotypes is in agreement with expected values according to the Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium. Additionally, the population from Barcelona differs, significantly, from the Finnish population and also, but with lower differences, from a U.S.A. Caucasian population. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Seasonal effects on salivary testosterone levels among lese males of the Ituri Forest, Zaire
Authors: Bentley Gillian R. , Harrigan Alisa M. , Campbell Benjamin , Ellison Peter T.
Published: June 2005

Salivary testosterone levels were measured in 33 Lese horticulturalist men in June and August 1989 in order to examine the effects of improved nutritional status on testicular function. The Lese experience an annual hunger season from March through June that varies in impact from year to year, and was particularly severe in 1989. Even before annual weight losses, the Lese are at the low end of the desirable range and are below the desirable population mean for the body mass index. Despite significant weight gain in August, both morning and evening testosterone levels declined, perhaps reflecting a lagged recovery period undetected in the 3‐month interval of the study. Lese mean salivary testosterone levels are lower, in general, than average levels in healthy Western controls. Lese males, however, exhibit similar, albeit suppressed, diurnal variation compared to healthy Western males and comparable age‐related decline in free testosterone levels. Chronic undernourishment and poor dietary composition are probably responsible for lower testosterone levels among the Lese and a lack of recovery in testosterone production following nutritional improvement. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genetic analysis of chest dimensions in a high altitude Tibetan population from upper Chumik, Nepal
Authors: Williams‐Blangero S. , Blangero J. , Beall C. M.
Published: June 2005

Studies of high altitude Andean natives generally report large chest dimensions relative to sea level groups, while results from studies of Himalayan populations are not consistent. One hypothesis is that this may represent different adaptive patterns in the two geographic areas. The purpose of this study is to explore the determinants of chest dimensions by assessing the genetic components of variation in chest width and chest depth in a Tibetan population resident at 3250–3560 m in Upper Chumik, Nepal. Data were available for 608 individuals (298 males, 310 females) aged 2–79 years; 471 individuals could be assigned to 134 pedigrees containing between 2 and 10 people with data. The remaining 137 individuals were treated as independents. A maximum likelihood variance decomposition method was used to assess the genetic components of each trait. Growth in chest width and depth was modeled as a linear function of age until an asymptote, at which growth was considered to reach a plateau. Both chest width and chest depth were moderately heritable (h = 0.50 ± 0.10, h = 0.49 ± 0.08). There was a significant genetic correlation (0.43 ± 0.13) between chest width and depth, suggesting that some genes have pleiotropic effects on both traits. The observed significant genetic components of these morphological traits indicate that there is potential in this population for genetic adaptation of chest dimensions to the high altitude environment. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ethnicity and human biology
Authors: Pollitzer William S.
Published: June 2005

Stanley Garn's book, Human Races (1965), captured the essence of the new genetic concept of ethnic groups as populations which share the same gene pool, shaped by natural selection. Since then new genetic traits, especially DNA polymorphisms, have been employed to build upon his vision. They have proven useful in the forensic sciences, medicine, and the human biology of adaptation, migration, evolution, and phylogeny. Some diseases like sickle cell anemia are controlled by single genes concentrated in a large ethnic group; their alleles are valuable for understanding human biology. Other conditions with a marked genetic component, such as diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis, predominate in certain ethnic groups. The new molecular biology tends to support the migration of farmers from west Asia into Europe in the Neolithic, the isolation of the Basques, and the early entrance of people into the New World. Some DNA data also favor the debatable hypothesis of the development of humanity in Africa and its subsequent dispersal. In many cases linguistic distance parallels genetic distance as language tends to influence gene flow. Apolipoproteins, with alleles unique to one major population group, are useful markers of admixture as well as significant for cardiovascular health. The Gullah‐speaking Black people of coastal Carolina are distinctive and close to African ancestors in language, culture, and biology, including genetic markers. Modern research confirms that race (by any name) is quantitative rather than qualitative, relative rather than absolute, and dynamic rather than static. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relative fat distribution: Relationship to skeletal maturation, growth status, and motor fitness of boys 8–11 years of age
Authors: Malina Robert M. , Reyes Maria Eugenia Peña
Published: June 2005

Skeletal maturia (Tanner‐Whitehouse II [TW II]), growth status, and motor fitness were compared in boys having high and low trunk/extremity skinfold ratios (T/E ratio). The T/E ratio was based on the sums of the subscapular and midaxillary, and the triceps and medial calf skinfolds. The sample included 80 boys, age 8 through 11 years, who represented the highest and lowest quartiles of the distribution of the T/E ratio (10 boys per quartile in each age group). Chronological and skeletal ages did not differ between boys in the highest and lowest quartiles, with the exception of the 10‐year‐old sample in the highest quartile, in whom skeletal age was significantly advanced. Boys in the highest quartile tended to be slightly taller, but especially heavier and fatter (sum of four skinfolds). They thus had a higher body mass index (BMI), which was elevated in part due to increased muscle mass as reflected in a larger estimated midarm muscle circumference. In contrast, boys in the lowest quartile tended to perform better, both absolutely and per unit body mass, in the three motor tests (run, jump, throw), while there were no consistent differences in absolute strength. However, boys in the lowest quartile tended to be stronger and to perform better per unit body mass. The results thus suggest that more centrally distributed subcutaneous fat may have a negative effect on the motor fitness of children, and this effect is mediated in part through excess fatness. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sarcopenia: A critical review of its measurements and health‐related significance in the middle‐aged and elderly
Authors: Roche Alex F.
Published: June 2005

A summary of the work performed by Stanley Garn relating to muscle mass while he worked at the Fels Research Institute is followed by a critical review of the measurement of sarcopenia, which is a deficiency of muscle mass, and its implications for health. The only satisfactory data for total muscle mass come from one cadaver study of a small selected sample. Analyses in relation to health (mortality rates) are limited to indices of muscle mass of which the body mass index (BMI) and arm muscle area or circumference are the most important because large amounts of serial data are available for analysis. The association between low BMI values and increased mortality rates is well established. Multiple studies, some of large samples, indicate that the increased mortality in those with low BMI values at entry is not fully explained by smoking behavior or disease at entry. There are, however, contrary findings from one major study. Associations between arm muscle circumference or area with mortality rates have also been reported. Independent effects of low BMI and low arm muscle values on mortality rates could be due to effects of low fat‐free mass, particularly low muscle mass, on host defense mechanisms and risk factors for disease but few relevant data have been reported. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Uses of the present
Authors: Garn Stanley M.
Published: June 2005

Working with the living, human biologists are in a fortunate position to put individuals and populations of the past in their appropriate quantitative places and to identify and comprehend environmental “stresses” of previous times. Although some writers have romanticized the human past as a disease‐free and natural existence, the evidence is strongly contradictory. Our ancestors and even our hominoid ancestors were much parasitized, with impairment of growth and function. Few had regular access to safe potable water. Their gritty diets were bacteria laden and often full of toxins, and the adequacy of diets was rarely predictable. High indoor occupancy rates facilitated the communication of respiratory diseases as well as mites, lice, fleas, and jiggers. Unventilated cooking and heating hearths made for elevated concentrations of carbon monoxide and particulate products of combustion. Living with animals, for warmth and protection, our Old World ancestors came to share their pathogenic fauna and so added tuberculosis, measles, influenza, smallpox, and numerous “plagues” to the list of human scourges. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Estimation of body fat and body fat distribution in 11‐year‐old children using magnetic resonance imaging and hydrostatic weighing, skinfolds, and anthropometry
Authors: Peters Derek , Fox Kenneth , Armstrong Neil , Sharpe Peter , Bell Mary
Published: June 2005

From early pubescence, both degree and distribution of fatness have been related to health risk factors. Measures that are capable of providing estimates of overall fatness and the extent of high risk fat patterning are, therefore, advantageous. The objective of this study was to compare estimates of body fatness and fat distribution using magnetic resonance imaging with the traditional methods of hydrostatic weighing, skinfolds, and anthropometry in 11‐year‐old boys and girls. Subjects were 25 boys and 25 girls, representative of their age cohort's body mass index (BMI) range. Total fat using MRI was obtained by summing subcutaneous and internal fat areas from four transaxial scans at the chest, waist, hips, and thigh. Mean MRI total fat (MRI FAT) was 357 (±152) cm2 with a range of 172–739 cm2 for boys and 427 (±174) cm2 with a range of 209–995 for girls. Correlation analyses revealed strong relationships between MRI FAT and UWW FAT (r = 0.73 boys, r = 0.77 girls), and the sum of four skinfolds (r = 0.94 boys, r = 0.88 girls). Analysis of the MRI data alone revealed that MRI FAT variation is largely explained by subcutaneous fat deposition at the waist in boys and at the level of the buttocks in girls, with most skinfolds correlating highly with MRI FAT in both sexes. Results of stepwise multiple regression showed that an abdominal skinfold and thigh circumference explained 95% of MRI FAT in boys, and 86% of the variance in girls. These data show that magnetic resonance images can provide useful information for the identification of discriminating field measures of fatness and its distribution in 11‐year‐old children. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Extreme changes in dietary sodium effect daily variability and level of blood pressure in borderline hypertensive patients
Authors: James Gary D. , Pecker Mark S. , Pickering Thomas G. , Jackson Sharon , Difabio Beatrice , Carroll Lillian , Laragh John H.
Published: June 2005

This study examined the effect of large changes in dietary sodium on the average ambulatory blood pressure and its variability in 19 patients with uncomplicated borderline hypertension. Each patient participated in a 16‐week protocol that consisted of four 4‐week periods of different sodium intake (medium (120–160 mEq/day) during periods 1 and 3 and low (< 40 mEq/day) or high (> 225 mEq/day) during either period 2 or 4. The 24‐hour urine sodium during the low and high periods averaged 18 and 327 mEq/day, respectively. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was done at the end of the fourth week of the low and high diet periods. During monitoring, pressures were recorded every 15 minutes while awake; in addition, patients kept diaries noting activities, posture, and situation at each measurement. The results show that there was a decline of 16/7 mmHg in the average ambulatory awake systolic and diastolic pressures from the high sodium to low sodium diets. Corresponding casual pressures decreased an average of 15 and 8 mmHg, respectively. In examining the factors associated with ambulatory pressure variability, systolic pressure showed greater variation by activity on a low sodium diet than on the high. The findings suggest that sodium restriction has a variable, but in some cases marked, effect on lowering the ambulatory blood pressure in borderline mildly hypertensive patients and that sodium balance may be important to consider when examining ambulatory blood pressure variability. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Emergence of permanent teeth among the meiteis of Manipur, India
Authors: Gaur Rajan , Singh Ningthoujam Yaima
Published: June 2005

To estimate the time and sequence of emergence of the first 28 permanent teeth in rural Meiteis of Manipur, 440 children 5–14 years of age were examined. Median tooth emergence times were earlier in females than males. The first molar was highly variable in its emergence time in both sexes. With the exception of premolars, mandibular teeth emerged earlier than maxillary teeth. Although no definite pattern was found in bilateral differences, left maxillary teeth and right mandibular teeth emerged slightly earlier in females and males, respectively. There was no clear sex difference in the sequence of permanent tooth emergence. The quiescent period between the first and second phases of tooth emergence was more apparent in the mandible than in the maxilla and occurred between the lateral incisor and first premolar in both jaws and sexes. The Meiteis displayed earlier emergence compared to other populations within India. The findings of this study support earlier reports that socioeconomic conditions do not significantly influence permanent tooth emergence; the chief controlling factor is most likely genetic. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distribution of ITI phenotypes in the Iberian Peninsula: Negative correlation between ITI*3 frequencies and latitude in human populations
Authors: Liste I. , Caeiro B.
Published: June 2005

The molecular phenotypes of ITI were analysed in samples from seven populations of the Iberian Peninsula (Galicia, Central Portugal, Castilla‐Leon, Castilla‐La Mancha, Extremadura, Western Andalusia, and Eastern Andalusia) by means of IEF in ultrathin layer polyacrylamide gels followed by immunofixation‐silver staining. The observed ITI*3 frequencies exhibit the highest values thus far reported in European populations. Regression analysis between ITI*3 frequencies and latitude reveals a negative correlation (r = −0.8798, P < 0.001). © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.