Annals of Human Biology最新文献

Background: Motor performances of youth are related to growth and maturity status, among other factors.

Aim: To estimate the contribution of skeletal maturity status per se to the motor performances of female athletes aged 10-15 years and the mediation effects of growth status on the relationships.

Subjects and methods: Skeletal age (TW3 RUS SA), body size, proportions, estimated fat-free mass (FFM), motor performances, training history and participation motivation were assessed in 80 non-skeletally mature female participants in several sports. Hierarchical and regression-based statistical mediation analyses were used.

Results: SA per se explained a maximum of 1.8% and 5.8% of the variance in motor performances of athletes aged 10-12 and 13-15 years, respectively, over and above that explained by covariates. Body size, proportions, and hours per week of training and participation motivation explained, respectively, a maximum of 40.7%, 18.8%, and 22.6% of the variance in performances. Mediation analysis indicated specific indirect effects of SA through stature and body mass, alone or in conjunction with FFM on performances.

Conclusion: SA per se accounted for small and non-significant amounts of variance in several motor performances of female youth athletes; rather, SA influenced performances indirectly through effects on stature, body mass and estimated FFM.

Background: Six Homo naledi early juveniles were recovered from U.W. 101 (Dinaledi Chamber), U.W. 102 (Lesedi Chamber), and U.W. 110 in the Rising Star cave system.

Aim: This paper develops the information for the H. naledi early juvenile life stage, as defined by a combination of deciduous and permanent dentition, and the eruption of the first permanent molar.

Subjects and methods: The growing number of young individuals recovered from the Rising Star cave system allows us to gain a better understanding of their variation, or lack thereof, and provides a basis to estimate broad ranges for age at death of the individuals. The individuals are identified and described through craniodental remains and spatial associations.

Results and conclusion: Our results show that the teeth are remarkably consistent across the localities in their metric and non-metric traits, and our analyses refine previous estimations on dental eruptions with the first permanent molar erupting first in the sequence among permanent teeth.

Background: Adolescent violence victimisation is associated with a spectrum of adult social and behavioural health outcomes, including adverse mental health symptoms. However, underlying social stress mechanisms linking adolescent victimisation to adult cardiometabolic health remains poorly understood.

Aim: The current study aims to reveal how adolescent and adult interpersonal violence exposures each get "under the skin" to affect adult metabolic syndrome, including direct victimisation and, additionally, witnessing violence.

Subjects and methods: We use a nationally representative longitudinal cohort, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, and leverage a quasi-experimental approach, propensity score matching regression analysis (n = 14,267).

Results: We find that adolescent violence exposure carries an enduring effect on young adult metabolic syndrome risk factor incidence and high-risk status, which is independent of young adult violence. Violence effects do not vary by sex or racial identity.

Conclusion: In sum, adolescent exposure to direct interpersonal violence significantly affects young adult cardiometabolic health in ways suggesting adolescence is a sensitive period for the onset of harmful cardiometabolic effects in early adulthood. Findings warrant future study of underlying pathways and how these effects shape social inequities in cardiometabolic health among U.S. adults broadly.

Background: Lifestyles of contemporary children are largely organised with relatively little time for free play.

Aim: To compare the growth, maturity status, motor proficiency and physical fitness of non-participants and participants in organised sports 7-10 years.

Subjects and methods: Height, weight, skeletal age (SA), physical activity, fundamental motor skills, motor coordination and fitness were assessed in 234 boys and 235 girls. Sex-specific comparisons of the characteristics of sport participants and non-participants 7-8 and 9-10 years were evaluated with Student's t and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results: Boys and girls in each age group active in sport had significantly higher levels of sport-related physical activity. At 7-8 years, boys active in sport were significantly taller and heavier than peers not active in sport, while girls not active in sport performed significantly better in ball rolling and balance. At 9-10 years, boys active in sport were more proficient in catching, while girls active in sport were more proficient in hopping and side-to-side jumping.

Conclusion: SA and performances among children 7-10 years active and not active in sport were largely non-significant statistically, while those active in sport were physically more active.

Background: Cuproptosis, a type of cell death involving copper ion accumulation and oxidative stress, has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Aim: This study aimed to explore the potential mechanisms and roles of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and immune cells in the development of cuproptosis in AD.

Subjects and methods: Gene expression profiles of AD were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and differential analysis was conducted to identify CRGs. Random Forest (RF) modelling was employed to select the most crucial CRGs, which were subsequently validated in the test set. A nomogram model was created to predict AD risk and categorise AD subtypes based on the identified CRGs. A lncRNA-related ceRNA network was built, and immune cell infiltration analysis was conducted.

Results: Twelve differentially expressed CRGs were identified in the AD dataset. The RF model pinpointed the five most critical CRGs, which were validated in the test set with an AUC of 0.90. A lncRNA-related ceRNA network was developed, and immune cell infiltration analysis revealed high levels of M1 macrophages and mast cells, along with low levels of memory B cells in AD samples. Correlation analysis unveiled associations between CRGs, lncRNAs, and differentially infiltrating immune cells.

Conclusion: This research offers insights into the potential mechanisms and roles of CRGs, lncRNAs, and immune cells in the development of cuproptosis in AD. The identified CRGs and lncRNAs may serve as potential therapeutic targets for AD, and the nomogram model may assist in early AD diagnosis and subtyping.

Background: Iron deficiency is one of the leading causes of anaemia, with those most affected being children and women of childbearing age, in Brazil there is a scarcity of studies involving the local prevalence of anaemia. Aim: To evaluate anaemia and associated factors in schoolchildren in Santa Cruz do Sul through the analysis of biochemical and haematological markers and parasitological examination of faeces. Subjects and methods: School children from 10 to 12 years of age were evaluated through complete blood count, serum ferritin, C-reactive protein and stool parasitological examination, as well as socio-demographic characteristics and prophylaxis with ferrous sulphate in childhood. Results: It was found that 13.0% of the population was anaemic, girls were very slightly overrepresented among the anaemic children. Only 5.3% had altered haematocrit levels; 26.6% had low Mean Corpuscular Volume levels; 18.4% had low ferritin levels; 2.4% had increased C-reactive protein levels, and 21.7% had altered eosinophils. As for the socioeconomic level, classes A2 and D presented lower haemoglobin levels, as well as class D presenting lower ferritin levels, although without statistical significance. Only 6.0% of the population presented iron-deficiency anaemia and 46.0% of the schoolchildren had used ferrous sulphate supplementation in childhood. Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia in the studied municipality is low, probably due to the high municipal human development index. Epidemiological studies are essential to characterise the population in a systematic form, to prevent future problems.