bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of physical growth of children in a rainforest community of northwestern Ecuador
Authors: Gettys Vivian R. , Gettys Tom W. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractThe physical growth of children under 5 years of age was studied in relation to patterns of nutrition, morbidity, and health care utilization in three remote villages of tropical Ecuador. Age‐specific comparisons of height and weight to growth curves from reference populations (US National Child Health Survey) indicated moderate to severe stunting in the population of male and female children. Examination of height‐weight relationships as a measure of recent nutritional status provided little evidence that male children were underweight for their height. However, the observation that female children fell between the 3rd and 50th centile channels of the reference population in their height‐weight relationship suggested moderate wasting in addition to substantial stunting. Endemic parasitism and a high rate of diarrheal illnesses were detected in the study population and were likely contributing agents to the stunting observed in male and female children. No dichotomy in the incidence of diarrhea was detected between male and female children, and if the episode was mild it was typical not to treat the illness, regardless of sex. In more severe cases, female children were more frequently taken to traditional healers. However, when familial self‐treatment or local clinics were used, male children were more likely to be the beneficiary. Thus it seems possible that this advantage, along with the cultural practice of investing more of the family's resources in male children, may be responsible for the wasting detected in young females. Tropical conditions, chronic undernutrition, compromised cellular immunity, and inadequate health care services were likely causes of the high morbidity and mortality of children under age 5. Community‐based programs of health promotion and disease prevention appear to offer the best potential as intervention strategies in these villages.
Contributions of nutrition versus hypoxia to growth in rural Andean populations
Authors: Leonard W. R. , Leatherman T. L. , Carey J. W. , Thomas R. B. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractPrevious research on diet and nutrition among peasant agriculturalists in the Andes has produced inconsistent results. As a consequence it has been difficult to determine the extent to which nutritional factors contribute to the slowed, prolonged growth and resultant small adult body size that is characteristic of these highland populations. The study examines patterns of diet and growth in the rural highland community of Nuñoa, Peru (elevation 4,000 m), and compares them to similar data collected on this community during the 1960s. Additional data from other locations in the Andes are then evaluated to discern critical determinants of growth variation.Analyses of the Nuñoan data indicate that nutritional factors have played a significant role in shaping statural growth at this location. Comparisons of other growth surveys indicate that Nuñoans remain among the smallest of all Andean populations. Additionally, urban/rural differences in growth are quite evident in the highlands, with the magnitude of this difference being greater than in other regions (i.e., coastal or jungle). It appears that income level and access to land strongly interact to direct and constrain food consumption patterns. The resulting differences in nutrition, in turn, appear to be strong predictors of growth variation. Consequently, studies that consider 1) dietary intake, 2) level of variability in diet, and 3) relative contributions of purchased and home‐produced food to diet should contribute to furthering our understanding of growth variation in the Andes.
Ventilation and the control of erythropoiesis in high‐altitude natives of Chile and Nepal
Authors: Winslow Robert M. , Chapman Keith W. , Monge C. Carlos 
Published: June 2005

AbstractPrevious studies have suggested that the hematocrit and hemoglobin values in Himalayan natives (Sherpas) are lower than those of Andean natives (Quechua Indians) living at the same altitude, perhaps because of genetic differences. To study these populations further, we selected healthy male subjects in Ollagüe, Chile (n = 29, age = 27.3 ± 15.9 years), and in Khunde, Nepal (n = 30, age = 24.7 ± 13.8 years). Both of these villages are located at 3,700 m above sea level. Hematologic measurements confirmed lower hematocrit values in Nepal (48.4 ± 1 4.5%) than in Chile (52.2 ± 1 4.6%) (P < 0.003). When subjects were matched for hematocrit, erythropoietin concentrations in Chile were higher than in Nepal (P < 0.01).To investigate a possible link between ventilation and erythropoiesis, we studied the ventilatory response to hypoxia in Sherpas with differing hematocrits. Our subjects could be classified as “responders” or “nonresponders” with respect to their pattern of ventilation after inspiration of 1 or 2 breaths of N2. The responders had significantly (P < 0.02) lower hematocrits (mean 46.6 ± 3.0%) than the nonresponders (mean 52.4 ± 5.0%), suggesting that ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia may play a role in determining the hematocrit in these subjects.
Applications of anthropometry to epidemiologic studies of nutrition and cancer
Authors: Micozzi Marc S. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractEpidemiologic research on cancer has recently expanded into new areas of investigation directly related to aspects of human biology, such as human diet and nutrition. The overall pattern of scientific evidence has suggested that dietary patterns in early life, as well as in adulthood, may be related to the long‐term risk of certain cancers. Anthropometry has considerable potential in cancer research as an indirect means of both childhood and adult nutritional assessment. Anthropometry has advantages in application to cancer studies when the sample size is large, as it must be to test most contemporary diet‐cancer hypotheses. The anthropometric dimensions selected for measurement should be reliable, readily accessible in field or clinical situations with high rates of subject participation, have established correlations to other body dimensions, and be comparable to dimensions measured in other studies. Appropriate standards of practice and quality control procedures in cancer studies may differ somewhat from those employed in human growth studies. Anthropometry is an important biomedical research methodology, which may be used to study the relations between nutrition, body size, and cancer, leading to better identification of individuals and human populations at increased risk.
Twin study of digital dermatoglyphic traits: Investigation of heritability
Authors: Arrieta M. I. , Salazar L. , Criado B. , Martinez B. , Lostao C. M. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractDigital patterns of a sample of monozygotic and dizygotic twins were analyzed to obtain heritability values for the four basic types of patterns: arch, tented arch, loops, and whorls. Loops have been separated according to their orientation radial or ulnar. To carry out this study, we used the Holzinger and Clark indices. The results show highest concordances for monozygotic twins except for ulnar loops of the left hand and radial ones of the right hand. Different values of heritability were found for the right and left hands, with finger I having the highest values.
Validity of skinfold and girth based regression equations for the prediction of body composition in obese adults
Authors: Seip Richard L. , Weltman Arthur 
Published: June 2005

AbstractThe validity of generalized and obese population‐specific body composition prediction equations for estimating percent fat was examined. Thirty‐eight clinically obese women (mean ± SD, % fat = 46.4 ± 5.2%, body mass = 97.2 ± 17.7 kg, age = 41.8 ± 13.3 years) and 16 clinically obese men (% fat = 39.2 ± 3.8%, body mass = 126.7 ± 24.6 kg, age = 43.0 ± 11.6 years) had % body fat estimated by hydrostatic weighing (with RV measured) and had a series of skinfold and girth‐based prediction equations applied to estimate % fat. The equations were chosen because they were said to be “generalized” or because they were “population specific” to obese samples of subjects. Results of the present study indicated that the majority of prediction equations were not valid estimators of % body fat in obese males and females. Of the equations that were valid estimators of % body fat (mean differences in % fat of < 3%, r ≥ 0.70, SE < 5%), all but one (Lohman, 1981) utilized girths as part of the prediction technique. It was concluded that generalized girth‐based equations could be utilized for prediction of % body fat in obese subjects.
Causes of death and the components of mortality: Testing the biological interpretations of a competing hazards model
Authors: Gage Timothy B. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBiological interpretations of a competing hazards model intended to express the age pattern of mortality throughout the life span are evaluated using cause of death data. The model examined is the Siler model, which consists of three competing hazards, immature, residual, and senescent. The data employed are the worldwide sample of life tables and decremented life tables, that is, life tables with a cause of death eliminated, assembled by Preston et al. (Causes of Death Life Tables for National Populations. New York: Seminar Press, 1972). The results indicate that causes of death are accounted for by the model in a manner consistent with the biological interpretations of the hazard functions. For example, the cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, and other degenerative diseases are accounted for by the senescent component of morality. This is a valuable characteristic of the model that may prove useful for assessing errors in cause of death data and identifying variation in the impact of a cause of death on the age patterns of mortality. For example, only 30% of deaths classified as due to other and unknown causes are attributed by the model to the senescent component of mortality and are consequently likely to be due to degenerative diseases. This finding contradicts the conventional assumption that the majority of other and unknown causes of death are due to the degenerative diseases. Additional results show that certain causes of death, such as influenza, pneumonia, and bronchitis, can occur in different components of mortality, suggesting that some categories of death may express several different etiologies. Partial correlation analysis indicates that much of this variation in etiology occurs among (and not within) populations. It is concluded that the Siler model is a useful framework for studying historical and/or cross‐national trends in mortality.
A commingling analysis of obesity in the Tecumseh community health study
Authors: Province M. A. , Keller J. , Higgins M. , Rao D. C. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractA commingling analysis of the distributions of obesity as quantified by Quetelet's index, triceps skinfold, suprailiac skinfold, umbilical skinfold, subscapular skinfold, a trunk‐extremity ratio of skinfold measurements and Quetelet‐adjusted trunk‐extremity ratio was performed in a population of 9,226 individuals living in Tecumseh, Michigan, during 1962–1965. For all but the (non‐Quetelet‐adjusted) trunk‐extremity ratio, two or three distributions were needed to fit the data adequately even after performing a power transformation to eliminate skewness. Although this evidence is compatible with a major gene effect, segregation analyses of these data using the unified, mixed model are necessary to resolve whether the commingling is due to a major gene.
Growth status of children in rural Mali: Implications for nutrition education programs
Authors: Dettwyler Katherine A. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractIn conjunction with a rural development project, a cross‐sectional anthropometric survey and ethnographic research were conducted in six rural villages in southern Mali where food is generally sufficient. A total of 1,132 individuals were measured, and individual and group interviews concerning dietary habits and intra‐familial food distribution patterns were conducted. In this paper, data on the growth status of children under 12 years of age (N=575) are reported and analyzed. As defined by inadequate growth, rates of malnutrition are extremely high in this population. Deficits in growth peak among the 2 year olds, with 67% falling more than 2 SD below the NCHS/WHO standard for weight‐for‐age, and 53% falling more than 2SD below the standard for height‐for‐age. Deficits in weight‐for‐height are highest among the 1 year olds, with 32% falling more than 2 SD below the NCHS/WHO standards. From birth to 23 months, the correlation between age (in months) and weight‐for‐age z‐scores is −.63 (P=.0001). Between 24 and 47 months, the correlation improves, to +.36 (P=.0004), indicating that children experience some catch‐up growth. By the age of 11 years, they still have not recovered fully from the combination of poor nutrition and infections in early childhood, however, and malnutrition continues to be a problem throughout childhood. Iodine deficiency is also a problem in two of the six villages. Interview data confirm earlier findings in Mali regarding child feeding practices, specifically, that infants and young children are expected to feed themselves, and that the best foods are reserved for adults. These findings have important implications for the design and implementation of nutrition education programs in southern Mali.
Weight of the testes in Northwest Indian adults
Authors: Jit Indar , Sanjeev  
Published: June 2005

AbstractThree hundred twenty‐five pairs of testes were obtained from northwest Indian subjects of Chandigarh zone aged 18 to 80 years, on whom medicolegal postmortems had been performed by the senior author. The weight of each testis along with epididymis was recorded on a single pan electric balance. The mean weight of the right testis was 17.18 ± 4.32g in 18–20‐year‐old subjects, and increased steadily to 19.44 ± 4.67 g in 41–50‐year‐old subjects. The weight decreased thereafter, to 17.77 ± 4.75 g in the age group of 51–60 years and 17.57 ± 5.10 g in subjects above 60 years. The weight of the left testis was about one gram less than that of the right but followed the same age‐related pattern. To calculate the weight of testis from its measurement, a regression formula was developed for each age group. The calculated weight by the regression formula and the actual weight were almost the same (P> 0.05). The formula could be effectively used to determine the weight of a testis in a living subject by taking testicular measurements (length, side‐to‐side, antero‐posterior) with a sliding caliper. The procedure seems to be preferable than estimating the volume of testis by an orchidometer, which introduces considerable subjective error.
Growth of native Hawaiian school children: I. Research design, stature, and weight measurements
Authors: Brown Daniel E. , Johnson Jerry L. , Severance Craig J. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractA semilongitudinal survey of the growth of native Hawaiian school children, focused on the development of fatness, has been carried out on the Island of Hawaii. Four cohorts of children, first studied in grades one, four, seven, and ten, were measured annually for four years. Several factors, including percentage of Polynesian ancestry, identification with Hawaiian culture, socioeconomic status, dietary intake, and physical fitness, have been considered for their potential relationship to the development of fatness Data presented here indicate that native Hawaiian boys tend to be taller for their age than NHANES‐II medians until age 14 years, but are not significantly taller than their non‐Hawaiian classmates. Native Hawaiian boys and girls are heavier for their age than NHANES‐II medians at most ages and are significantly heavier than non‐Hawaiian classmates. Percentage of Polynesian ancestry is a significant predictor variable of both stature‐for‐age and weight‐for‐age among native Hawaiian children in the first and fourth grade cohorts. Study of fatness in a genetically heterogeneous Polynesian population that is relatively homogeneous in regard to modernization may yield insights into genetic contributions to the problem of obesity among Pacific Islanders.
Demographic dimensions of population aging in developing countries
Authors: Kinsella Kevin , Suzman Richard 
Published: June 2005

AbstractSeveral demographic aspects of population aging in developing countries are considered: the older old, the median age of a population, life expectancy and mortality, functional status and disability, sex differences, urbanization, and the labor force. While the demographic impact of population aging is becoming better appreciated, the descriptive epidemiology of age‐related changes in health and physical functioning in developing countries is still at an early stage.
Bone remodeling in old age: Longitudinal monitoring in Arizona
Authors: Stini William , Stein Patricia , Chen Zhao 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBeginning in October, 1982, annual monitoring of the density of the radius has been conducted on a population of affluent elderly citizens of Sun City, Arizona. In the summer of 1983, a second component of the project was added, drawing on residents of subsidized retirement residences in Tucson, Arizona. The study, now in its eighth year, has followed the procedure of collecting data on 225 individuals in each city each year, adding new subjects to compensate for attrition as needed. Total sample size in this mixed‐longitudinal study presently stands at 1209. In order to develop normative standards for all age groups and allow construction of sex‐specific bone density profiles for the two populations, additional subjects were recruited from the University community and from health monitoring projects in progress in the College of Medicine. The total sample is presently slightly over 2,000 individuals, approximately 1,500 of whom are women. In addition to bone mineral density data, collected with a Lunar SP‐2 photon absorptiometer at a site located one‐third of the distance from the distal end of the radius, comprehensive questionnaire data concerning medical history, current medications, exercise habits, and nutritional intakes were collected in the Sun City and Tucson longitudinal studies. One of the most significant findings of this study to date has been the sharp difference between the remodeling patterns observed in men as opposed to women. In addition, longitudinal observations show that bone loss follows a pattern that is more episodic than steady in both sexes.
Nutritional requirements and human evolution: A bioenergetics model
Authors: Leonard William R. , Robertson Marcia L. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractA bioenergetics model is developed to examine changes in metabolic requirements over the course of human evolution. Data on (1) body size and resting metabolism, (2) brain size and metabolism, (3) activity budgets, and (4) foraging patterns for humans and other anthropoids are used to evaluate ecological correlates of variation in diet and energy expenditure. Analyses of variation in these extant species provide a framework for estimating (1) resting metabolic requirements, (2) brain metabolic needs, and (3) total energy requirements in fossil hominids. Anthropoid primates spend about 8% of resting metabolism to maintain their brains, a significantly larger proportion than in other mammals (3–4%), but still significantly less than 20–25% in humans. Total energy expenditure among anthropoids is positively correlated with day range and dietary quality. Human foragers fit this pattern, having high levels of energy expenditure, large foraging ranges, and a high quality diet. Within the fossil record, it appears that both total energy expenditure (TEE) and energy required by the brain increased substantially with the emergence of Homo erectus. For H. erectus, the percentage of resting metabolism used by the brain falls beyond the nonhuman primate range and approaches the modern human range. Additionally, TEE is 35–55% greater than in the australopithecines. The high total metabolic needs and the large proportion of energy required by the brain imply that important dietary changes occurred with H. erectus. These metabolic and dietary changes are linked to (1) the emergence of hunting and gathering, (2) the evolution of the human pattern of prolonged development, and (3) the coexistence and competition with the robust australopithecines.
Nutritional ecology in the tropical rain forests of Amazonia
Authors: Dufour Darna L. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractAvailable data on diet and nutritional status of Amerindians living in the tropical rain forests of Amazonia are reviewed and evaluated. The diets of most Amerindians are based on cassava and plantains/bananas, with high‐quality protein coming from fish, game, and invertebrates. Although tropical rain forests are rich in plant species, wild plants do not appear to be very important in the diet. Their use, however, has not received much attention and may be underestimated. The composition of Amerindian diets is known for only a few groups, in whom the dietary intake of households and adults appears to be adequate in energy and protein. However, the high‐bulk, low‐caloric density of the diets means that they are probably not sufficiently concentrated for children. Anthropometric data are available for a number of groups. Adults are small in size, but nutritional status assessed in terms of the BMI is good. Children are small for age, and in some groups more than 10% would be classified as undernourished on the basis of weight‐for‐height and/or clinical signs.
Relation of subcutaneous fat distribution to percentage of Polynesian ancestry in native Hawaiian children
Authors: Brown Daniel E. , Koenig Tupou V. , Demorales Alexis M. , Mossman Konrad K. , Akina Charlene M. , Sako Ehukai K. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractA semilongitudinal study of the growth of Hawaiian children from four cohorts was carried out with measurements taken at four consecutive annual visits. Each visit entailed an anthropometric battery, including skinfold measurements at six sites. Additionally, interviews with children and their families elicited information on socioeconomic status, other social conditions, and degree of identification with Hawaiian culture. Genealogies were completed to allow estimates of percentage of Polynesian ancestry (PPA) for the Hawaiian children, with estimates compressed into quartiles of PPA. A principal components analysis of the six skinfold measures for each child was carried out, deriving two components. Components relating to centrality of fat distribution were significantly higher among native Hawaiians than in non‐Hawaiians, and the components were significantly related to PPA in analyses of covariance for preadolescent children. The relationship between socioeconomic variables and amount of body fatness appears to be stronger than the relationship between these variables and fat distribution. The results suggest a relatively greater role for Polynesian hereditary influence on fat distribution than on quantity of fat among contemporary native Hawaiian children. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.