Predictive equations for stature in the elderly: A study in three Latin American cities

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop predictive equations based on anthropometric data to estimate stature in people 60 years and older in Latin America.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study in three Latin American cities.

Subjects: Sample sizes were n?=?1657 (Sao Paulo, Brazil), n?=?1004 (Santiago, Chile) and n?=?995 (Mexico City, Mexico).

Method: The prediction equations were fitted by stepwise linear regression analysis. For each country and sex, samples were randomly split into two sub-samples (training and validation sub-samples) using the cross-validation method.

Results: Stepwise regression analysis in the training sample revealed that only knee-height and age had a significant effect on the prediction of height. The values of the shrinkage statistic were below 0.1 indicating the reliability of the prediction equations. The regression equations had standard errors of estimate ranging from 3.3?cm (Chile), 3.6?cm (Brazil) and 4.0?cm (Mexico) for women, and 3.7?cm (Mexico and Chile) and 3.8?cm (Brazil) for men.

Conclusions: Sex-specific stature prediction equations based on knee-height and age were obtained from large representative samples from selected cities of Latin America.

Résumé. But: Cette étude a pour but de développer des équations prédictives à partir de données anthropométriques, afin d’estimer la stature des personnes âgées de 60 ans et plus en Amérique latine.

Sujets et méthodes: Etude transversale d’échantillons de populations dans trois villes d’Amérique latine: n?=?1657 (Sao Paulo, Brésil), n?=?1004 (Santiago, Chili) et n?=?995 (Mexico City, Mexique). Les équations de prédiction ont été ajustées au moyen d’analyse de régression linéaire pas à pas. Dans chaque nation et pour chaque sexe, les échantillons ont été divisés en deux sous échantillons (de de formation et de validation) au moyen d’une méthode de validation croisée.

Résultats: L’analyse de régression pas à pas de l’échantillon de formation révèle que seuls la hauteur du genou et l’âge, ont un effet significatif sur la prédiction de la stature. Les valeurs des statistiques de tassement sont inférieures à 0,1, ce qui indique la fiabilité des équations de prédiction. Les équations de régression ont un écart-type variant de 3,3?cm (Chili), 3,6?cm (Brésil) et 4,0?cm (Mexique) pour les femmes et 3,7?cm (Mexique et Chili) et 3,8?cm (Brésil) pour les hommes.

Conclusions: Des équations de prédiction de la stature par sexe, fondées sur la hauteur du genou et l’âge, ont été élaborées à partir de vastes échantillons représentatifs d’une sélection de villes d’Amérique latine.

Zusammenfassung. Ziel: Das Ziel dieser Studie war die Entwicklung von Vorhersagegleichungen, um in Lateinamerika auf der Grundlage von anthropometrischen Daten die Körperhöhe bei Personen von 60 Jahren und älter zu schätzen.

Studienaufbau: Eine bevölkerungsbasierte Querschnittsstudie aus 3 Lateinamerikanischen Städten.

Probanden: Die Studienumfänge betrugen n?=?1657 (Sao Paulo, Brasilien), n?=?1004 (Santiago, Chile) und n?=?995 (Mexico City, Mexiko).

Methode: Die Vorhersagegleichungen wurden durch schrittweise lineare Regressionsanalyse angepasst. Getrennt nach Land und Geschlecht wurden die Stichproben nach Zufallskriterien unter Verwendung der Kreuzvalidierungsmethode in je 2 Untergruppen geteilt (Trainings- und Validierungsgruppe).

Ergebnisse: Die schrittweise Regressionsanalyse zeigte in der Trainingsstichprobe, dass nur Kniehöhe und Alter einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Vorhersage der Körperhöhe hatten. Die Werte der shrinkage Statistik (Statistik auf der Basis reduzierter N-Zahl) waren unter 0,1 und zeigten damit die Reliabilität der Vorhersagegleichungen. Die Regressionsgleichungen hatten einen Standardschätzfehler von 3,3?cm (Chile), 3,6?cm (Brasilien) und 4,0?cm (Mexiko) für Frauen und von 3,7?cm (Mexiko und Chile) und 3,8?cm (Brasilien) für Männer.

Zusammenfassung: Auf der Grundlage von Kniehöhe und Alter wurden anhand von großen repräsentativen Stichproben aus ausgewählten Lateinamerikanischen Städten geschlechtsspezifische Vorhersagegleichungen für Körperhöhe entwickelt.

Resumen. Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue desarrollar ecuaciones de predicción basadas en datos antropométrico para estimar la estatura en personas de 60 años o más, en Latinoamérica.

Diseño: Estudio transversal basado en poblaciones de tres ciudades latinoamericanas.

Sujetos: los tamaños muestrales fueron n?=?1.657 (Sao Paulo, Brasil), n?=?1.004 (Santiago, Chile) y n?=?995 (Ciudad de México, México).

Método: Las ecuaciones de predicción se ajustaron mediante un análisis de regresión lineal “paso a paso”. Para cada país y sexo, las muestras fueron divididas aleatoriamente en dos submuestras (submuestras de entrenamiento y de validación), utilizando el método de validación cruzada.

Resultados: En la muestra de entrenamiento el análisis de regresión “paso a paso” reveló que sólo la altura de la rodilla y la edad tenían un efecto significativo sobre la predicción de la estatura. Los valores de contracción (“shrinkage”) estadística estaban por debajo del 0,1, lo que indicaba la confiabilidad de las ecuaciones de predicción. Los errores estándar de la estima de las ecuaciones de regresión oscilaban entre 3,3?cm (Chile), 3,6?cm (Brasil) y 4,0?cm (México), en las mujeres, y entre 3,7?cm (México y Chile) y 3,8?cm (Brasil), en los varones.

Conclusiones: Se obtuvieron las ecuaciones de predicción de la estatura, específicas para cada sexo, basadas en la altura de la rodilla y la edad, en grandes muestras representativas de las ciudades latinoamericanas seleccionadas.     

Typing and molecular characterization of Streptococcus pneumoniae with reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime isolated in Latin America

The treatment of systemic infections, especially meningitis, caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae nonsusceptible to third-generation cephalosporins, is extremely difficult due to the paucity of therapeutic options. The main objective of this study was to characterize isolates of S. pneumoniae with reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime (MICs, > or = 1 microg/ml) by different typing methods and to evaluate whether clonal dissemination of this pathogen had occurred among Latin American medical centers. A total of 46 isolates collected from respiratory tract specimens, blood cultures, cerebrospinal fluid, eye, and other sources were analyzed. The isolates were collected from Latin American medical centers located in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay through two multicenter surveillance programs, in 1997 and 1998. Isolates were serotyped and molecular typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and automated ribotyping. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined to 19 drugs by reference broth microdilution methods. Ten isolates (21.7%) had cefotaxime MICs > or = 2 microg/ml, whereas 36 (78.3%) had cefotaxime MIC results at 1 microg/ml. All isolates were susceptible to gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, and vancomycin. The isolates were distributed among five major serotypes (%): 23F (39.1%), 14 (32.6%), 19F (23.9%), 9V (2.2%), and 6B (2.2%). However, distinct molecular patterns were detected among isolates with a unique serotype. Six and four PFGE patterns were identified among isolates with serotype 23F and 19F, respectively. When PFGE and automated ribotyping analyses were combined, four clusters were identified. The largest cluster (10 isolates) was represented by isolates with ribotype 18-2, major PFGE pattern I, and serotype 14. ATCC 700671 (international clone Spain 9V-3) also showed ribotype 18-2. This clone was detected in four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. A second cluster (8 isolates) were characterized by isolates with ribotype 17-4, PFGE type D, and serotype 23F, similar to ATCC 700669 (international clone Spain23F-1). Isolates from this cluster were identified in three countries: Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Our results indicated that clonal dissemination of S. pneumoniae with reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime has occurred in Latin America mainly among serogroups 14, 19F, and 23F.     

Characterization of individuals at high risk of developing melanoma in Latin America: bases for genetic counseling in melanoma

PurposeCDKN2A is the main high-risk melanoma-susceptibility gene, but it has been poorly assessed in Latin America. We sought to analyze CDKN2A and MC1R in patients from Latin America with familial and sporadic multiple primary melanoma (SMP) and compare the data with those for patients from Spain to establish bases for melanoma genetic counseling in Latin America.MethodsCDKN2A and MC1R were sequenced in 186 Latin American patients from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay, and in 904 Spanish patients. Clinical and phenotypic data were obtained.ResultsOverall, 24 and 14% of melanoma-prone families in Latin America and Spain, respectively, had mutations in CDKN2A. Latin American families had CDKN2A mutations more frequently (P = 0.014) than Spanish ones. Of patients with SMP, 10% of those from Latin America and 8.5% of those from Spain had mutations in CDKN2A (P = 0.623). The most recurrent CDKN2A mutations were c.-34G>T and p.G101W. Latin American patients had fairer hair (P = 0.016) and skin (P < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of MC1R variants (P = 0.003) compared with Spanish patients.ConclusionThe inclusion criteria for genetic counseling of melanoma in Latin America may be the same criteria used in Spain, as suggested in areas with low to medium incidence, SMP with at least two melanomas, or families with at least two cases among first- or second-degree relatives.     

Three-year assessment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones in Latin America from 1996 to 1998

Four hundred ninety-nine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates recovered from 1996 to 1998 from 22 hospitals in five countries of Latin America-Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico-were examined for antimicrobial susceptibility and clonal type in order to define the endemic clones in those hospitals. The hybridization of ClaI restriction digests with the mecA- and Tn554-specific DNA probes combined with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal SmaI digests (ClaI-mecA::ClaI-Tn554::PFGE clonal types) documented not only the predominance and persistence of the Brazilian clone (XI::B::B) in Brazil (97%) and Argentina (86%) but also its massive dissemination to Uruguay (100%). Moreover, a close relative of the Brazilian clone (XI::kappa::B) was highly represented in Chile (53%) together with a novel clone (47%) (II::E'::F) resistant to pencillin, oxacillin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, erythromycin, and gentamicin. A unique clonal type (I::NH::M) was detected in Mexico among pediatric isolates and was resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, and gentamicin only. This study clearly documented the very large capacity for geographic expansion and the persistence of the Brazilian clone, contributing not only to the increasing uniformity of the MRSA in South America but worldwide as well.     

Meta-analysis of HLA-DRB1 polymorphism in Latin American patients with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the common effect size of HLA-DRB1 alleles on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility across Latin America populations through a meta-analysis combining the results of published data. METHODS: Case-control studies on HLA-DRB1 association with RA in Latin America were searched up to October 2006. Genotype frequencies were extracted according to both shared epitope (SE) and HLA-DR4 positive or negative alleles. The effect summary odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals was obtained. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. RESULTS: Eight studies containing 684 cases and 1015 controls were included. Under the random effects model, the common OR was 3.28 (1.93, 5.60) (p<0.0001) and 3.54 (2.47, 5.05) (p=4.22 x 10(-12)) for HLA-DR4 and SE, respectively. There was no evidence of publication bias according to Funnel plot and Egger's regression test (p=0,445 for DR4 and p=0,464 for SE meta-analysis). Significant heterogeneity was observed for HLA-DR4 (I2=81.06%, Q=36.96, p=0.000005) but not for the SE meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: HLA-DR4 and SE positive HLA-DRB1 alleles (mainly HLA-DRB10404) are associated with RA in Latin Americans. Heterogeneity is expected owing to the diverse degree of admixture between the examined populations. Our findings support the HLA as a major susceptibility locus for RA and validate the SE hypothesis in Latin America.     

Haemophilus influenzae resistance in Latin America: systematic review of surveillance data

Haemophilus influenzae is a relevant cause of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years of age in the developing world. In Latin America, H. influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine and surveillance of H. influenzae antimicrobial susceptibility have been implemented in recent years. We have undertaken a systematic review and a pooled analysis on H. influenzae antimicrobial resistance, including reports of 15 Latin America countries over a 10-year period (1990-2000). We have found that 450 (21.4%) of 2,100 invasive isolates were beta-lactamase producers compared to 145 (14.5%) of 998 isolates of noninvasive isolates (p < 0.05). Ampicillin resistance was detected among 783 (21.9%) of 3,577 invasive isolates compared to 111 (17.2%) of 646 noninvasive strains (p < 0.05). In contrast, 568 (41.9%) of 1,355 noninvasive strains were trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) resistance against 241 (26.9%) of 897 invasive ones (p < 0.05). Therefore, TMP-SMX resistance was more common in nonsterile fluids than in sterile fluids. Over time, rates of beta-lactamase-producing strains were stable in Brazil and Mexico, whereas rates of TMP-SMX resistance were increasing in Brazil. It is predictable that following the Hib immunization, Latin America countries will be faced with increased nontypeable H. influenzae infection. Although standing by the nontypeable H. influenzae vaccine, in this novel epidemiological scenario of post-Hib vaccination in Latin America settings there is a need to improve H. influenzae resistance monitoring to guide clinicians to choose efficacious antimicrobial therapy.     

Rotavirus vaccine introduction in the Americas: progress and lessons learned

In Latin America and the Caribbean, rotavirus causes approximately 15,000 deaths, 75,000 hospitalizations, 2 million clinic visits and 10 million cases of rotavirus diarrhea annually. Two safe vaccines are available that are effective in preventing severe illness. To date, seven countries in Latin America (Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela) have introduced the vaccine. For successful rotavirus vaccine introduction, the lessons learned re-emphasize the critical need for countries to have precise plans that will ensure technical, programmatic and financial sustainability of vaccine introduction. Of these lessons learned, programmatic feasibility and financial sustainability were particularly challenging for countries that were the first to introduce a rotavirus vaccine.     

Hepatitis E virus infection in Latin America: A review

Data reported during recent years reveal the complex picture of the epidemiology of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Latin America. Whereas in countries like Argentina and Brazil is almost identical to the characteristic of most countries from North America and Europe, HEV in the Caribbean and Mexico involves the water‐borne, non‐zoonotic viral genotypes responsible for epidemics in Asia and Africa. Nevertheless, Latin America has been considered a highly endemic region for hepatitis E in the scientific literature, a generalization that ignores the above complexity. In addition, reports from isolated Amerindian communities, which display well known, important and very specific epidemiological features for hepatitis B and D virus infections are neither taken into account when considering the epidemiology of hepatitis E in the region. This review updates compilation of the available information for the HEV infection, both among humans and other mammals, in Latin America, discusses the strengths and the weaknesses of our current knowledge, and identifies future areas of research. J. Med. Virol. 85: 1037–1045, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Statures of 19th century Chinese males in America

OBJECTIVE: This study considers statures of 19th century male Chinese immigrant to the American West and assesses how their personal characteristics were related with stature variation. SUBJECTS: The subjects were 1423 male Chinese prisoners received between 1850 and 1920 in the Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington state prisons. METHOD: The study compares 19th century Chinese inmate statures with other studies and employs stature regression models on time, socio-economic status and residence within the USA to account for biological variation. RESULTS: Between 1830 and 1870, Chinese youth male stature declined by over 2 cm. Between 1820 and 1860, Chinese adult male stature also declined by over 2 cm. Chinese stature did not vary with socio-economic status or residence. CONCLUSIONS: Nineteenth century Chinese emigrant statures were influenced more by political and economic events than socio-economic status, and male emigrants' biological conditions may have deteriorated throughout the 19th century.     

辽宁农村汉族青壮年身高与指距的关系

Objective To investigate the stature and arm span of young and middle aged adults of rural Han nationality in Liaoning. Methods A methodology and a standard of anthropology were used to measure arm span and stature of 769 young and middle aged adults (males 386, females 383) of rural Han nationality in Liaoning province. The original data were analyzed by medical statistics and regression analysis. Results Based on the data of the stature and arm span obtained in this study, the mean, difference, typing of differences, exponent and regression equations were determined for young and middle aged adults of rural Han nationality in Liaoning. Conclusion The measurement and typing among the stature and arm span have uniformity with Chinese stature and the difference of height and sex. The stature has high correlation with the arm span. It is reliable to use the regression equations to estimate the stature or the arm span.     

Dissemination of Streptococcus pneumoniae clone Colombia(5)-19 in Latin America

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 5 is the third most common capsular type causing invasive diseases in children younger than 5 years in Latin America. Preliminary data on Colombian serotype 5 isolates indicated a common clonal origin associated with resistance to tetracycline (TET) and chloramphenicol (CHL). We studied 172 S. pneumoniae serotype 5 invasive isolates from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Uruguay and confirmed the presence of the Colombia⁵-19 clone throughout Latin America. Fifteen subtypes of a pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern and 4 electrophoretic types (ET) were obtained. Most of the isolates from different geographical regions belonged to pattern A (34.3%), subtype A5 (41.9%), and ET1 (91.1%). The A pattern (n = 59) was resistant to TET and had variable resistance to CHL; it was present in Brazil (10.2%), Colombia (78%), Guatemala (8.5%), and Mexico (3.4%). Subtype A5 with variable susceptibility to TET and sensitive to CHL was found in Argentina (29.2%), Mexico (8.3%), and Uruguay (62.5%). Subtypes A1-A4, A7-A8, and A9-A11 (closely related to A) also shared ET1, while subtype A6 was assigned to ET1, ET2, and ET3. Eleven subtypes (n = 21) were found to be specific for one country each. In summary, the S. pneumoniae serotype 5 isolates from Latin American are genetically closely related but show different patterns of antibiotic resistance, probably as a result of horizontal transfer.     

辽宁农村汉族成人手长、足长与身高的关系

目的 探讨辽宁农村地区汉族成人手长、足长与身高的关系。方法 按规定的测量方法测量了辽宁农村地区977名(男487名,女490名)20～80岁汉族成人的手长、足长和身高,并将原始数据进行医学统计学处理。按年龄组和性别组计算出各组手长、足长和身高的均值,并提出由手长、足长推算身高的回归方程。结果 除40～49岁组手长外,各组手长、足长和身高的性别差异均有显著性(P<0.01);由手长推算的回归方程中,男性除30～39岁组、女性除20～29岁和30～39岁组外,其他回归方程成立,由足长推算的回归方程均成立(P<0.001)。结论 足长与身高显著相关,通过足长及用回归方程来推测辽宁农村成人身高更具可靠性和适用性。     

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases in Latin America: The Second Report of the LAGID Registry

This is the second report on the continuing efforts of LAGID to increase the recognition and registration of patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases in 12 Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. This report reveals that from a total of 3321 patients registered, the most common form of primary immunodeficiency disease was predominantly antibody deficiency (53.2%) with IgA deficiency reported as the most frequent phenotype. This category was followed by 22.6% other well-defined ID syndromes, 9.5% combined T- and B-cell inmunodeficiency, 8.6% phagocytic disorders, 3.3% diseases of immune dysregulation, and 2.8% complement deficiencies. All countries that participated in the first publication in 1998 reported an increase in registered primary immunodeficiency cases, ranging between 10 and 80%. A comparison of the estimated minimal incidence of X-linked agammaglobulinemia, chronic granulomatous disease, and severe combined immunodeficiency between the first report and the present one shows an increase in the reporting of these diseases in all countries. In this report, the estimated minimal incidence of chronic granulomatous disease was between 0.72 and 1.26 cases per 100,000 births in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay and the incidence of severe combined immunodeficiency was 1.28 and 3.79 per 100,000 births in Chile and Costa Rica, respectively. However, these diseases are underreported in other participating countries. In addition to a better diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency diseases, more work on improving the registration of patients by each participating country and by countries that have not yet joined LAGID is still needed. Latin American Group for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases     

Asthma in Latin America: a public heath challenge and research opportunity

 Asthma has emerged as an important public health problem in many Latin American countries over the past decade. In Brazil and Costa Rica, the prevalence of asthma and associated morbidity is as great or greater as reported in traditional high prevalence countries such as the US, but remains neglected as a public health priority. Asthma in Latin America is associated particularly with underprivileged populations living in cities but remains relatively rare in many rural populations. The causes of asthma in Latin America are likely to be associated with urbanization, migration, and the adoption of a modern 'Westernized' lifestyle and environmental changes that follow these processes that include changes in diet, physical activity, hygiene, and exposures to allergens, irritants, and outdoor and indoor pollutants. Because of the enormous social, genetic, and environmental contrasts within and between Latin American countries, and the large differences in prevalence associated with these differences, the investigation of asthma in Latin America provides important research opportunities to identify the social and biological mechanisms that underlie asthma development. Asthma in Latin America poses enormous challenges for health policy makers, health services, and researchers to respond to and alleviate the growing burden of asthma disability, particularly among marginalized urban populations.     

Antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae in six Latin American countries: 1993-1999 surveillance

The impact of invasive pneumococcal invasive disease is increased by the emergence of antibiotic resistance. We report regional and temporal variations in antibiotic resistance for 4,105 invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected from Latin American children <5 years, between 1993 and 1999. Reduced susceptibility to penicillin was detected in 1,182 isolates (28.8%); 36% of these were resistant (> or = 2 microg/ml), including 12.6% with MIC > or = 4 microg/ml, occurring primarily in serotypes 14 and 23F. Reduced susceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins was detected in 12.1% of the collection. Mexico had the highest proportion of reduced susceptibility to penicillin (51.6%) and to third-generation cephalosporins (22%), whereas Brazil had the lowest at 20.9% and 0.7%, respectively. Isolates cultured from patients with pneumonia were more likely to have reduced susceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins than isolates from patients with meningitis (p < 0.0001). Susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and vancomycin was tested by disk diffusion for 2.899 isolates. Reduced susceptibility was observed for 45.6%, 11.5%, 6.9%, and 0%, respectively. Thirty-one percent of the strains were resistant to > or = 2 drugs. High levels of antibiotic resistance in Latin America emphasize the need for the development of and adherence to rational antibiotic use guidelines. On-going surveillance will monitor the impact of these programs.     

中国更新世古人类身高演化趋势

目的 探讨中国更新世古人类身高演变趋势。 方法 采用间接法复原中国更新世化石人类身高，先重建残缺长骨标本的最大长，然后依据长骨长度复原个体身高。 结果 中国直立人（4例）和早期现代人（12例）的身高变异范围分别是155.4～169.2 cm和155.2～171.7 cm，而早期智人仅有1例女性个体身高约166.1 cm。位于西南地区的柳江和丽江的古人类身高明显低于北方早期现代人。 结论 从直立人至早期现代人阶段，中国古人类身高变异范围相仿，而平均身高可能呈逐渐增长趋势；早期现代人展现出较明显的地域性差异；早期现代人与新石器时期现代人群身高间差异并未表现出显著性。     

Prediction of distribution of neutral, acidic and basic structurally diverse compounds between blood and brain by the nonlinear methodology

The methodology for predicting the distribution of compounds between Blood and Brain, i.e. their brain/blood partition coefficients (logBB values), was studied using a nonlinear regression analysis in this work. The equations were established on the basis of the different states (neutral, cationic and anionic) of the compounds distributing into the three dominating composition (lipid, protein and water) of the brain. The equations bear strong fitting and predictive power for the distribution of compounds (total set: n=160, r=0.906, s=0.326; training set: n=139, r=0.908, s=0.320; testing set: n=21, r=0.903, s=0.297), and can describe the distribution of the different states of the compounds in three compositions of brain. The compounds in the dataset contained many different types, such as drug molecules, small structure-simple molecules, carboxylic acids and also alkaloids. Therefore the equations were very useful and instructional for the prediction of the compound distribution into the brain and blood. Finally, the percentages of the amount of a compound in lipid, protein and water in brain were calculated using the model, such subdivision will be very useful in drug research and discovery. By an analysis of the percentages a conclusion can be obtained that a well distributed drug is mainly affected by distribution of lipid and protein.     

中日学生足长,足围与身高关系的比较研究

目的 研究中日学生足长、足围与身高关系的差异性。方法 采用国际采用的人体测量学方法,调查了大连７－１７岁１２０９名汉族学生和东京７－１２岁２７２名学生的身主 长和足围,并着重研讨了足长、足围与高的关系。结果 足长、足围与身高之间存在正相关关系。（１）由足长推算身高的回归方程大连男性为Ｙ＝６．８３６ｘ－２．８３,女性为Ｙ７．６１１ｘ＝１５．２８０;东京男性为Ｙ－５．８５２ｘ＝１２．１３２,女性为Ｙ＝     

Early stature prediction method using stature growth parameters

Background: The creation of an accurate growth prediction method for human stature at a stage of growth has been an interesting challenge in medical science and human biology.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a non-radiographic final stature prediction method that is applicable in the early pubertal growth period.

Subjects and methods: Randomly selected 12-year serial stature growth data for 400 Koreans were fitted with two nonlinear growth curves: Preece and Baines model 1 (PB1) and Jolicoeur–Pontier–Pernin–Sempe (JPPS) functions. Five biological parameters, including take-off (TO) related parameters, were derived by differentiation of the two curves, respectively. Those five variables were composed into a multiple linear regression equation for final stature prediction. In the cross-validation subjects, TO-related variables were estimated by linear interpolation from the partial growth data prior to estimation age, then incorporated into the prediction equation.

Results: The final stature prediction model had excellent validity and accuracy when applied to the cross-validation samples. Prediction accuracy increased according to increasing years after take-off.

Conclusions: This study suggests that a final stature prediction method using multiple regression analysis that includes biological parameters can predict stature growth with sufficient validity and accuracy. Incorporation of TO-related parameters allowed us to develop earlier growth evaluation and prediction methods compared with other previous methods.