The Busselton children's survey, 1983. Body size from five to 16 years of age

In 1983, 1623 primary and secondary schoolchildren took part in a health survey which was organized by the Busselton Population Studies Group. Age, sex, weight, height and country of birth were recorded for each child. Where possible, the country of birth of parents and the occupation of the father were extracted from previous Busselton surveys of adults. Compared with Perth schoolchildren, the difference in the attained weight and height of Busselton children at any age was small. This was so even though the two communities differ in location (rural compared with metropolitan), in ethnic origin (mainly British compared with diverse origins) and, probably, in social-rank distribution. Data from the two communities showed that a similar small secular increase in height had occurred since 1970/1971. This increase averaged at 1.2 cm for children at each year of age in Busselton and 1.5 cm to 1.6 cm for children in Perth.     

Juvenile-onset acid maltase deficiency with unusual familial features

From early childhood, two brothers had mild gait difficulties due to acid maltase deficiency (AMD). Biochemical studies of family members were consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance, but the asymptomatic mother had AM activity in the homozygote range, and her parents had decreased AM activity. The asymptomatic mother may be homozygous for the adult-onset variant of AMD. Alternatively, either the mother or the children may be genetic compounds of the childhood and adult forms of AMD.     

Naloxone-reversible analgesia as a result of stimulation of the habenula in the rat

Electrical stimulation of rat habenular complex induces analgesia, evaluated by the tail-flick test, dependent on intensity of stimulation with a long post-effect, that is reversible by naloxone and without behavior effects at less that 400 mA. Bilateral destruction of habenula fails to provoke hyperesthesia but causes more marked long-term tolerance effects than in controls. Anatomy suggests that the habenula activates an inhibitory descending system in the spinal cord with a probable relay in the dorsal raphe and involving an endogenous opioid-dependent stage.     

Obese, overweight, desirable, ideal: where to draw the line in 1986?

In February 1985, the National Institutes of Health sponsored the Consensus Development Conference on the Health Implications of Obesity. The panel of experts concluded that height and weight tables based on mortality data and the body mass index (BMI) are helpful measures to determine the presence of obesity and the need for treatment. For the dietitian, however, practical concerns arise regarding which index to select. The usefulness of the BMI in patient education and contradictions between the 1959 and 1983 Metropolitan Life Insurance height-weight tables are discussed. A temporary solution is offered in light of the need for further investigation into morbidity experience at weights recommended in the 1983 table.     

Etiological heterogeneity in Hodgkin's disease: HLA linked and unlinked determinants of susceptibility independent of histological concordance

Forty-one multiplex families, from published sources and new data from the National Cancer Institute, segregating for Hodgkin's disease and HLA, have been studied. A reanalysis of these data strongly suggests a recessive mode of inheritance for susceptibility to Hodgkin's disease. The HLA haplotype sharing data between affected relatives demonstrate that approximately 60% of cases in multiplex families are due to an HLA-linked susceptibility gene, the remaining 40% being due to other familial factors. The data clearly support the hypothesis of etiological heterogeneity for Hodgkin's disease, with both HLA-linked and HLA-unlinked factors being responsible. Finally, there is an increased concordance of histological types between affected relatives, but this concordance seems independent of HLA sharing.