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This study aimed to analyse differences in the profile of subcutaneous fat between Black and Caucasian athletes of both sexes. An anthropometric study was performed on 303 athletes (202 White and 101 Black). The protocol included: weight, height, sitting height, arm span, circumference of waist and hip, and nine skinfold measurements. The sums of skinfolds and fat percentage were calculated by different equations: athlete-specific (Withers 1987, cited by Norton 1996), generalised (Durning-Womersley 1974; Jackson-Pollock 1985) and according to ethnic group (Davidson 2011; Evans 2005). Black males had less subcutaneous fat in pectoral, triceps and lower limb and more in subscapularis. Meanwhile Black women had less in anterior thigh and more in subscapularis in relation to Caucasian women. In both sexes, Black athletes had a greater ratio of sum of upper limb/lower limb and lesser ratio of sum of anterior/posterior zone. The fat percentage for Black men was less in three of the equations and less for women in the Evans equation. The highest degree of agreement between the fat estimated by Evans and the other equations was with Withers and Jackson-Pollock. This sexual and racial dimorphism in the anthropometric profile must be considered in assessment.

The aim of the study was to determine how the pandemic changed the lifestyle of young women and men from Central Poland. The material consisted of data from students at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw and the University of Lodz. A total of 498 people were examined, including 370 women and 128 men. An online survey was used and questions were asked about changes in nutrition, physical activity and use of stimulants, health status and stress levels. The questions referred to two periods before the pandemic and during the pandemic. The respondents were also asked to provide their body weight and height before and during the pandemic, which were used to calculate the Body Mass Index. The Pearson chi² test and the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA tests were used, p < 0.05. There were statistically significant differences between sexes in dietary supplementation before and during the pandemic and in changes in body weight during the pandemic, portion size and an increase in the share of processed foods in the diet, as well as in the case of self-assessment of the physical activity level, intensity of stress level and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The analyzed factors influenced BMI exclusively in women and encompassed variations in portion sizes as well as alterations in alcohol consumption patterns. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the lifestyle of young adults. Significant differences between the sexes were observed in relation to some of the factors studied, which could be caused by different needs, social maturity, or psychological differences between the sexes.

Background: The purpose of the study was to select factors which importantly influencing the decision of breastfeeding in the first period of life over twenty years in the three cohorts in central Poland. Materials and methods: The analysis included 2159 children (1017 girls and 1142 boys). The data come from three cohorts investigated in the following years: 1993-1997, 2004-2008 and 2015-2017. In each cohort, parents completed questionnaires on the type of nutrition in the first months of life (breastfeeding versus formula feeding), child-birth parameters, duration of pregnancy, age and education of parents, and maternal smoking during pregnancy. Information about birth parameters, i.e., birth weight, birth length, birth head and chest circumference, gestational age (week of pregnancy) and Apgar score were taken from children's medical records. The Chi² test, U-Mann Whitney test and logistic regression were performed to check which factors significantly affected mother decision of breastfeeding. Results: We observed differences between factors which favor breastfeeding among three investigated cohorts. The factors significantly associated with breastfeeding only in cohort 1993-1997 were: birth parameters (higher birth length, higher body mass and higher chest circumference) and lower prevalence of exposition to cigarettes smoke during pregnancy. However, independently on tested cohort the logistic regression model indicated that the following factors correlated with the lack of breastfeeding: lower gestational age (E = -0.1663, p = 0.0182), higher maternal age (E = 0.1326, p < 0.0001), lower paternal age (E = -0.0526, p = 0.0345), secondary paternal education (E = 0.5138, p = 0.0024) vs. higher, lower maternal education (E = 0.7577, p = 0.0003) vs. higher, other season of birth than summer (E = -0.3650, p = 0.0439). Conclusions: Factors influencing the mother's decision to breastfeed independently on tested cohort were as a following: parental education and parental age, season of birth and duration of pregnancy.

In March 2020, the spread of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, triggered a pandemic of acute respiratory distress syndrome among people. The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in BMI and in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents (11-15-year-olds) from Kraków (Poland) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two cross-sectional studies were performed in 2020 and 2022 in randomly selected elementary schools in 4 districts of Kraków. The study group was 1572 children between the ages of 11-15 years. BMI (Body Mass Index) was calculated. Participants were grouped using Cole's cut-off points. The statistical significance of differences between the groups was estimated using the two-way ANOVA and Chi² test. An increase in the prevalence of underweight and normal weight was observed in both sexes. In girls a decrease in the prevalence of obesity was noted, while in boys, the same tendency was present in some age groups. In girls, a decrease in the prevalence of overweight and in the average BMI was noted; in boys the trend was the opposite. The observed results may be correlated with changes in body composition and restrictions resulting from the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Skeletal remains of an adult (estimated age at death ≈ 27-30 years) Prehispanic male with fusion in the sacroiliac joints showed a heterotopic ossification consisting of a flat, 10 × 5 cm bone formation covering the posterior aspect of the right sacroiliac joint. The bones were recovered from a burial cave containing remains of 4 individuals, located on the side of a ravine, in Buenavista del Norte (NW corner of Tenerife, Canary Islands), at ≈ 450 m altitude. This individual was probably affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that led to bony fusion of the pelvic bones with the sacrum, but several unusual features prompted us to compare the pelvis with those belonging to two modern individuals affected by AS (20^th century) housed at the Department of Anatomy of the school of medicine (University of La Laguna, Tenerife). The Prehispanic individual possibly suffered a pelvic fracture that caused a hematoma which underwent ossification. Some features (periosteal reaction, formation of new foramina) may also suggest a superimposed infection. The fracture altered the pelvic structure, severely narrowing the right sciatic notch, possibly causing neural and/or vascular compromise of the lower limbs. Living in a steep mountainous environment, this individual (possibly a goatherder) probably suffered a fall, that caused the fracture complicated by a severe bleeding and pelvic deformation.

The aim of the present study was to advance knowledge of the secular changes in the prevalence of excess weight (overweight and obesity) and body composition of children living in different localities of La Plata district (Buenos Aires province, Argentina) over the last two decades. For this purpose, anthropometric data and information on the socioeconomic and environmental context of residence of schoolchildren aged 4.0-12.9 years collected during 2005-2009 (Cohort 1, n = 1 233) and 2016-2019 (Cohort 2, n = 1 499) were analysed and compared. From a secular perspective, the current analysis showed that the socioeconomic and environmental conditions of families living in La Plata district have deteriorated in recent decades. In this context, child excess weight increased by 13% and body composition was altered, mainly as a result of an increase in fat mass, without observing changes in the muscle component.

The process of natural or spontaneous mummification has been observed for more than a hundred years in various Mexican pantheons. The construction materials used in the niches of the pantheons generate particular microenvironmental conditions that promote the preservation of organic materials. The construction materials (mining adobe, brick and stone material) that make up the three series of the municipal pantheon of Santa Paula were studied and analyzed using X-ray Diffraction, X-ray Fluorescence and petrographic analysis techniques. At the same time, the mechanical and physical properties of the materials were determined, as well as the relative humidity and temperature within the niches. The results indicate that the geochemistry, distribution and percentage of said materials inside of the niches created exceptional microclimatic conditions that favored the conservation of the bodies. With this contribution we intend to advance the understanding of the influence that construction materials had on the process of natural mummification.

Background and aim: The handgrip strength test is mostly used as a proxy test of overall muscle strength and is associated with increased mortality and physical disability. Handgrip strength is affected by various factors, such as age, Height, weight, and BMI. This study aimed to investigate the association between handgrip strength, anthropometric variables, and musculoskeletal disorders among Jat farmers in Haryana. Methods and materials: 634 individuals between 35 and 75 years old from 15 villages in the Palwal District of Haryana were recruited for the study. Various anthropometric variables, namely, stature, weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), waist-height ratio (WHtR), body mass index (BMI), and handgrip strength (HGS), were obtained using the standard ISAK protocol. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorder Questionnaire was used to measure musculoskeletal disorders. Handgrip strength was measured using a digital hand dynamometer. Results: Handgrip strength was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in males than females, and participants with strong handgrip strength tended to be taller and heavier. Furthermore, significantly weaker handgrip strength was found in the older age group, individuals with MSD, and females. Factors such as Height, weight, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio were positively correlated with HGS, while MSD and waist-height ratio were negatively correlated with HGS. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that hand grip strength was independently associated with Sex, age, waist-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, and Body Mass Index (BMI). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that HGS is influenced by factors such as age, Height, weight, WC, WHR, and MSD in both males and females. Additionally, age, WHtR, and MSD negatively influenced the HGS. Previous studies have mostly suggested the influence of BMI and age on HGS, whereas the present study also found the influence of WC, WHR, WHtR, and MSDs on HGS. Therefore, future studies should incorporate more adiposity indicators in the assessment and intervention of strong hand grip strength among farmers to improve farm productivity.

Previous studies have reported that height reduction due to urbanization during the early industrial period was not observed in Japan. This study analyzed the data from 20-year- old conscript examinations from 1905 to 1932 (for individuals born between 1885 and 1912) in Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan. Secular trends in height, weight, body mass index (BMI), prevalence of trachoma, and secondary education attainment classified by Morioka City, the prefectural capital, and 13 counties were examined. Before the 1880s births, the height of those in Morioka was approximately 159 cm, the same height as those in rural areas. After 1880, the height of those in Morioka increased to more than 161 cm in the early 1900s, while the height of those in rural areas remained constant. Large declines in height, > 0.5 cm, were seen in those born in the year or following year of a natural disaster, epidemic, or economic depression. This result may suggest that height increased in urban areas as life improved, experiencing temporary deterioration of their living environment due to recession, natural disasters, and epidemics, whereas height changed little in rural areas because life remained almost the same during the early industrial period in Japan.

Introduction: The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 axis (GH/IGF-1) is crucial for longitudinal bone growth and exerts several metabolic effects. It is debatable whether and how the recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment affects the trunk-limb proportions. Aim of the study: We aim to evaluate the changes in body proportions and body fat content in short children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), children born small for gestational age (SGA), and girls with Turner syndrome (TS) during the first year of rhGH therapy. Material and methods: The data of 70 children with GHD, 40 children born SGA, and 36 girls with TS from 1998 to 2019 were analyzed. The following parameters were measured: height, body weight, sitting height, and two skinfolds on the arm above the triceps brachii and below the scapula at the beginning of rhGH therapy and after the first year of treatment. Sitting height and lower limb length were presented as percentages (%) of body height. Fat mass percentage (%FAT) was calculated using the Slaughter formula. Results: At the beginning of rhGH, TS girls had the greatest height deficit (-2.7 SDS), the highest sitting height (%), and the lowest lower limb length (%) compared to children with GHD and children born SGA. Moreover, TS girls had higher body weight SDS, BMI SDS compared to SGA children (p < 0.001), and higher %FAT compared to both GHD and SGA children (p < 0.001 for both). After the first year of rhGH therapy, a significant increase in lower limb share (%) and a decrease in %FAT were observed in all the study groups. TS girls still had significantly higher sitting height (%), shorter lower limbs (%), and higher %FAT, body weight SDS, and BMI SDS compared to children with GHD and children born SGA (p < 0.05 for all variables). Conclusions: Our results show that rhGH treatment could increase lower limb length in relation to height and reduce fat mass in treated children. Girls with TS had the largest baseline body disproportions and the highest body fat content. Despite a satisfactory reduction in height deficit, after the first year of rhGH therapy, these girls had still higher body weight SDS, BMI SDS, %FAT, the highest sitting height (%), and the lowest lower limb length (%) compared to children with GHD and born SGA.