Department of Physical Therapy, Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel. kleonid@bgu.ac.il
In a sample of Chuvashians (803 males and 738 females) we evaluated the mean values of index finger to ring finger (2D:4D) ratio, the contributions of phalanges and metacarpals to the 2D:4D ratio, and the symmetry between right and left 2D:4D ratios. Age, sex, anthropometric data and radiographs of both hands were collected. Each hand was visually classified on a radiograph as either Type 1 - index finger was longer than ring finger; Type 2 - equal; or Type 3 - index shorter than the ring finger. The following measurements (1) from the mid-point of the base of the proximal phalanx to the mid-point of the tip of the distal phalanx; and (2) from the mid-point of the base to the mid-point of the tip of the metacarpal were obtained from the index and ring fingers. Visual classification was significantly associated with the measured 2D:4D length ratio. Women had a higher prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2, but lower prevalence of Type 3 ratio in both hands. Men had smaller measured 2D:4D phalangeal, metacarpal and ray (combined) ratios than women. Symmetry between the right and left hand measured 2D:4D ratios were significant in phalangeal (r=0.657, p
We sought to describe responses to the 6-min walk test (6MWT) in healthy Canadian adults in order to facilitate interpretation of its results in patient populations. Seventy-seven healthy Canadians aged 45 to 85 years (65 ± 11 years, 40 females) completed this study. During a single visit, three 6MWTs were undertaken. The main outcome measure was 6-min walk distance (6MWD). Age, gender, height, and weight were recorded. In 61 (79%) participants, cardiorespiratory variables were collected during the third 6MWT using a calibrated portable gas analysis system. The 6MWD increased between the first and second test (615 ± 96 to 639 ± 98 m; p
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland. noora.berg@thl.fi
The aim of the study was to identify heavy drinking trajectories from age 16 to 42 years and to examine their associations with health, social, employment and economic disadvantage in mid-adulthood.
Finnish cohort study's participants who were 16 years old in 1983 were followed up at age 22, 32 and 42 (n = 1334). Heavy drinking was assessed at every study phase and based on these measurements trajectories of heavy drinking were identified. The trajectory groups were then examined as predictors of disadvantage at age 42.
Five distinct heavy drinking trajectories were identified: moderate (35%), steady low (22%), decreasing (9%), increasing (11%) and steady high (23%). Frequencies of the trajectory groups differed by gender. Using the moderate trajectory as a reference category, women in the steady high trajectory had an increased risk of experiencing almost all disadvantages at age 42. In men, increasing and steady high groups had an increased risk for experiencing health and economic disadvantage.
Steady high female drinkers and steady high and increasing male drinkers had the highest risk for disadvantage in mid-adulthood. By identifying heavy drinking trajectories from adolescence to mid-adulthood we can better predict long-term consequences of heavy alcohol use and plan prevention and intervention programmes.
Differences in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAT) fat cell size and number (cellularity) are linked to insulin resistance. Men are generally more insulin resistant than women but it is unknown whether there is a gender dimorphism in SAT cellularity. The objective was to determine SAT cellularity and its relationship to insulin sensitivity in men and women.
In a cohort study performed at an outpatient academic clinic in Sweden, 798 women and 306 men were included. Estimated SAT mass (ESAT) was derived from measures of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and a formula. SAT biopsies were obtained to measure mean fat cell size; SAT adipocyte number was obtained by dividing ESAT with mean fat cell weight. Fat cell size was also compared with level of insulin sensitivity in vivo.
Over the entire range of body mass index (BMI) both fat cell size and number correlated positively with ESAT in either sex. On average, fat cell size was larger in men than in women, which was driven by significantly larger fat cells in non-obese men compared with non-obese women; no gender effect on fat cell size was seen in obese subjects. For all subjects fat cell number was larger in women than men, which was driven by a gender effect among non-obese individuals (P
Testosterone is an important hormone in the sexual differentiation of the brain, contributing to differences in cognitive abilities between males and females. For instance, studies in clinical populations such as females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) who are exposed to high levels of androgens in utero support arguments for prenatal testosterone effects on characteristics such as visuospatial cognition and behaviour. The comparison of opposite-sex (OS) and same-sex (SS) twin pairs can be used to help establish the role of prenatal testosterone. However, although some twin studies confirm a masculinizing effect of a male co-twin regarding for instance perception and cognition it remains unclear whether intra-uterine hormone transfer exists in humans. Our aim was to test the potential influences of testosterone on academic performance in OS twins. We compared ninth-grade test scores and teacher ratings of OS (n=1812) and SS (n=4054) twins as well as of twins and singletons (n=13,900) in mathematics, physics/chemistry, Danish, and English. We found that males had significantly higher test scores in mathematics than females (.06-.15 SD), whereas females performed better in Danish (.33-.49 SD), English (.20 SD), and neatness (.45-.64 SD). However, we did not find that OS females performed better in mathematics than SS and singleton females, nor did they perform worse either in Danish or English. Scores for OS and SS males were similar in all topics. In conclusion, this study did not provide evidence for a masculinization of female twins with male co-twins with regard to academic performance in adolescence.
Notes
Cites: Behav Genet. 1993 Jul;23(4):323-98240211
Cites: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Dec 15;90(24):11900-48265645
Results are submitted of the study into the role of sex features of reactivity and adaptivity in the organization and compensation of structural and functional changes in the central nervous system in newborn babies having suffered intrauterine hypoxia and born in asphyxia. The identified sex dimorphism of the neuroendocrine system attests to the need for taking account of sex resistance in neonatology and permits the awareness of better adaptation of newborn girls with cerebral disorders of hypoxic genesis. Further study of sex dimorphism will, we believe, help in working out informative-and-quest systems of clinical, instrumental, biochemical, and morphological diagnosis in neonatology.
BACKGROUND: An index of age-associated health/well-being disorders (deficits), called the "frailty index" (FI), appears to be a promising characteristic to capture dynamic variability in aging manifestations among age-peers. In this study we provide further support toward this view focusing on the analysis of the FI age patterns in the participants of the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS). METHODS: The NLTCS assessed health and functioning of the U.S. elderly in 1982, 1984, 1989, 1994, and 1999. Detailed information for our sample was assessed from about 26,700 interviews. The individual FI is defined as a proportion of health deficits for a given person. RESULTS: The FI in the NLTCS exhibits accelerated age patterns. The acceleration is larger for elderly who, at younger ages, had a lower FI (low FI group) than for those who showed a higher FI at younger ages (high FI group). Age-patterns for low and high FI groups tend to converge at advanced ages. The rate of deficit accumulation is sex-sensitive. CONCLUSIONS: The accelerated FI age patterns suggest that FI can be considered as a systemic measure of aging process. Convergence of the (sex-specific) FI age patterns for low and high FI groups by extreme ages might reflect the limit of the FI-specific (or systemic) age as well as the limit of adaptation capacity in aging individuals.
Fibrinogen (FBG) and total coagulation factor VII (FVIIc) concentrations are higher in those patients with coronary artery disease who are at increased future risk of acute ischemic events. The relationship between activated factor VII (FVIIa) and cardiovascular events, however, has not been intensively studied. Data were collected from 401 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography because of suspected coronary artery disease. Conventional risk factors FVIIc, FVIIa and FBG were assessed in relation to the severity of coronary artery disease, left ventricular ejection fraction, and previous clinical events. A strong positive correlation was found between FVIIa and FVIIc (p
