犯罪青少年父母养育方式及与自身文化程度的关系

目的　探讨犯罪青少年父母养育方式及与父母文化程度的关系。方法　采用父母养育方式评价量表 (EMBU)和父母文化程度问卷 (自制 )对犯罪青少年 2 40人和正常青少年 2 40人进行了集体测查和对照研究 ,并对父母养育方式与文化程度的关系进行了分析。结果　犯罪青少年父母情感温暖与理解 (FF1和 MF1 )明显低于对照组 ,而父母惩罚严厉 (FF2和MF4)、父母过分偏爱 (FF4和 MF5 )和父亲拒绝否认 (FF5 )明显高于对照组 ;父母养育方式与其受教育程度关系密切 ,高文化程度的父母给予子女高情感温暖、理解 ,低文化程度的父母对子女高惩罚严厉 ,高拒绝否认和过分偏爱。结论　犯罪青少年父母养育方式存在较多缺陷 ,父母文化程度过低是造成其养育方式失当的一个重要原因。     

青少年父母教养方式及人格特征对网络成瘾行为的影响分析

目的探讨网络成瘾的人格特征及其父母养育方式。方法采用网络成瘾问卷(IAT)、父母养育方式问卷(EMBU)、艾森克个性问卷(EPQ)对76名网络成瘾者进行测试,并抽取76名非网络成瘾者进行对照分析。结果1网络成瘾组与对照组父母养育方式存在显著差异,网络成瘾组父亲的惩罚严厉(t=6.408,P=0.000)、过分干涉(t=3.334,P=0.001)、过分保护(t=2.783,P=0.006)和拒绝否认(t=2.81,P=0.006)4个因子分值显著高于对照组(P0.01),父亲的温暖理解(t=-2.731,P=0.007)因子分值明显低于对照组(P0.01);母亲的惩罚严厉(t=4.069p=0.000)、过分干涉保护(t=3.414,P=0.001)、拒绝否认(t=2.732,P=0.007)各因子分明显高于对照组(P0.01);2网络成瘾组与对照组人格特征存在显著差异,网络成瘾组的精神质(t=5.74,P=0.000)、神经质(t=4.81,P=0.000)因子分值显著高于对照组(P0.01),掩饰因子(t=3.93,P=0.000)分值显著低于对照组(P0.01)。结论1网络成瘾者具有不良的父母养育方式;2网络成瘾者人格特征存在不同程度缺陷。     

青少年体像障碍与父母养育方式的关系

目的:探讨青少年体像障碍与父母养育方式的相互关系。方法:采用体像障碍自评量表(BDDS)和父母养育方式评价量表(EMBU)对淮南市176名高中生进行测评。结果:①青少年体像障碍量表总分与父亲情感温暖理解因子呈负相关(r=-0.392,P0.05),与父亲惩罚严厉因子、过分干涉因子、拒绝否认因子呈正相关(r=0.504,0.469,0.613;P0.05);与母亲情感温暖理解因子呈负相关(r=-0.399,P0.05),与母亲过分干涉与保护因子、拒绝否认因子、惩罚严厉因子呈正相关(r=0.54,0.573,0.563,P0.05);②父亲情感温暖与理解因子、偏爱被试因子、拒绝否认因子,与母亲过分干涉与过度保护因子、拒绝否认因子对体像障碍有预测作用(回归系数值分别为-0.274,0.321,0.817,0.705,1.215;P0.05)。结论:父母越倾向于采取积极养育方式,体像障碍量表得分越低;父母越倾向于采取消极养育方式,体像障碍量表得分越高。父母养育方式是影响青少年体像障碍的重要因素。     

父母养育方式与医学生人格特征的相关性研究

目的 探讨父母养育方式与医学生人格特征的关系。方法 采用“父母养育方式问卷”和“艾森克人格问卷”对160名医学生进行测定，并对父母养育方式与人格特征进行相关分析和多元逐步回归分析。结果 （1）父母的情感温暖、理解（FF1、MF1）与医学生的内外向（E）呈显著正相关，母亲的过度干涉与保护（MF2）、父亲的严厉惩罚（FF2）与医学生的内外向（E）呈显著负相关，其中MF2对E的影响更为显著。（2）父母的情感温暖，理解（FF1，MF1）与医学生的精神质（P）呈显著负相关，父亲的过度保护（FF6）与医学生的精神质（P）呈显著正相关，其中FF6对P的影响更为显著。（3）父亲的情感温暖，理解（FF1与医学生的神经质（N）呈显著负相关，父母的严厉惩罚（FF2、MF4）和拒绝否认（FF5、MF3）、父亲的过分干涉（FF3）与医学生的神经质（N）呈显著正相关，其中MF3对N的影响更为显著。（4）父母的严厉惩罚（FF2、MF4）和母亲的拒绝否认（MF3）与医学生的掩饰（L）呈显著正相关，其中MF3对L的影响更为显著。结论 父母养育方式对医学生人格特征有重要的影响，预防医学生的人格问题需要父母采取良好的养育方式。     

青少年网络成瘾与家庭环境、父母教养方式的关系

目的:探讨青少年网络成瘾与家庭环境、父母教养方式的关系。方法:490名大学生被试完成网络成瘾诊断量表、家庭环境量表(FES-CV)和父母教养方式评价量表(EMBU)的评定。结果:被试总体的网络成瘾检出率为7.6%;在家庭环境方面,网络成瘾组家庭矛盾性得分显著高于正常组;在父母教养方式方面,网络成瘾组与正常组在父情感温暖、父拒绝否认、父过度保护、父惩罚严厉、父过分干涉、母拒绝否认、母严厉惩罚、母情感温暖上的得分差异显著(P<0.05～0.001)。结论:矛盾的家庭环境和拒绝、否认、缺少温情的父母教养方式与青少年网络成瘾有关。     

父母教养方式与子女焦虑水平的相关因素分析

目的 :探讨父母教养方式与子女焦虑水平的相关性。方法 :采用父母养育方式评价量表 (EM BU)和状态特质焦虑量表 (STAI)对 30 0名初中学生进行调查 ,并对结果进行统计分析。结果 :父母温暖的情感、理解 (FF1、MF1)与中学生的焦虑水平呈负相关 ,而父母的拒绝、否认 (FF5、MF3)、父母的过度保护、过分干涉 (FF6、FF3、MF2 )、父母的严厉、惩罚 (FF2、MF4)与学生的焦虑水平呈正相关 ,尤以母亲的过度保护、干涉 (MF3)为甚。结论 :不恰当的父母教养方式与子女的焦虑水平有明显的相关性 ,父母应该调适对子女的教养方法     

儿童及青少年拒绝上学问题与家庭教养方式关系的研究

目的本研究探讨家庭教养方式与拒绝上学问题之间的关系,为预防和治疗儿童及青少年拒绝上学问题提供科学依据。方法以拒绝上学的儿童和青少年为研究对象,采用父母养育方式评价量表对因拒绝上学问题就诊于中国医科大学附属第一医院精神医学科的60例患者及家属进行评定。结果门诊就诊的儿童及青少年中,男女比例(3.29:1)差异显著;父母教养方式中父亲惩罚严厉(FF2)、父亲拒绝否认(FF4)、母亲过分干涉或过分保护(MF2)、母亲拒绝否认(MF3)、母亲惩罚严厉(MF4)5个因子差异显著(t=10.7292,9.3540,3.7249,7.8419,10.8155;P<0.01),多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,上述5个因素是拒绝上学问题的危险因素(P<0.01)。结论拒绝上学的儿童及青少年男性多于女性,具有不良的家庭教养方式;不良的家庭教养方式可能是导致拒绝上学问题的危险因素之一。     

儿童心理虐待与忽视同父母养育方式的关系

目的 探讨儿童的心理虐待与忽视同父母养育方式的关系.方法 采用自编的儿童心理虐待与忽视调查表(CPANS)、父母养育方式评价表(EMBU),随机整群抽取长沙市中小学生462名作为研究对象.对心理虐待与忽视阳性组132名与阴性组312名儿童的父母养育方式进行对照研究.结果 心理虐待与忽视同父母养育方式存在显著相关,阳性组的父母惩罚、严厉、过分干涉、拒绝、否认、过度保护得分均高于对照组,阴性组父、母情感温暖、理解因子的得分均低于对照组,存在差异显著性.结论 父母的情感温暖、理解,偏爱被试,拒绝、否认,过分干涉,惩罚、严厉及父亲的过度保护与儿童心理虐待与忽视的发生存在密切关系.     

行为问题学龄儿童的人格特征与父母养育方式的相关性

目的:探讨行为问题学龄儿童的人格特征、父母养育模式及父母养育模式对儿童人格特征的影响。方法:采用Rutter儿童行为问卷(父母问卷)筛查行为问题儿童,应用艾森克人格问卷(幼年版)(EPQ-Junior)及父母养育方式评价量表(EMBU)评估56例行为问题儿童(研究组)及56例正常儿童(对照组)的人格特征与父母养育方式。结果:(1)研究组的内-外向(E)维度评分值显著低于对照组,情绪稳定性(N)维度评分值显著高于对照组,两组间差异均有统计学意义(t=-2.186,P0.05;t=4.020,P0.01);(2)EMBU的母亲情感温暖、理解与父亲情感温暖、理解两个因子的评分显著低于对照组,两组间比较有统计学意义(t=-2.448,P0.05;t=-4.607,P0.01),父亲惩罚、严厉与父亲过分干涉两项因子的评分显著高于对照组,两组间比较均具有统计学意义(t=4.307,P0.01;t=2.168,P0.05);(3)研究组内-外向(E)与母亲情感温暖、理解因子及父亲情感温暖、理解因子均呈显著正相关(r=0.307,0.299;P0.05),情绪稳定性(N)与母亲情感温暖、理解因子及父亲情感温暖、理解因子均呈显著负相关(r=-0.292,-0.264;P0.05),与母亲过度干涉、保护因子、父亲惩罚、严厉因子及父亲过分干涉因子均呈显著正相关(r=0.361,0.359,P0.01;r=0.300,P0.05)结论:行为问题学龄儿童的人格特征、父母养育模式与正常儿童存在差异,其人格特征与父母不良养育模式可能存在显著相关性。     

中学生父母教养方式、应对方式的关系及影响因素

目的探讨父母教养方式及有关因素对中学生应对方式的影响。方法采用父母教养方式量表和中学生应对方式量表对开封市579名中学生进行调查。结果良好的父母养育方式与积极的应对方式呈正相关；不良的父母养育方式与消极的应对方式呈负相关。在性别上父母养育方式各因子中父亲情感温暖理解、惩罚严厉、过分干涉、拒绝、否认、母亲情感温暖理解、过分干涉、过分保护等因子上有显著差异。在年级纬度上父母养育方式各因子中，父亲惩罚严厉、拒绝、否认、过度保护、母亲过分干涉、过分保护等因子有显著差异。结论父母教养方式和中学生应对方式存在显著相关，父母教养方式越积极，中学生越倾向采取积极的应对方式应对生活中遇到的挫折和烦恼。     

Opportunities and challenges in the prevention and control of cancer and other chronic diseases: children's diet and nutrition and weight and physical activity

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the role of behavioral research in disease prevention and control, with a particular emphasis on lifestyle- and behavior-related cancer and chronic disease risk factors--specifically, relationships among diet and nutrition and weight and physical activity with adult cancer, and tracking developmental origins of these health-promoting and health-compromising behaviors from childhood into adulthood. METHOD: After reviewing the background of the field of cancer prevention and control and establishing plausibility for the role of child health behavior in adult cancer risk, studies selected from the pediatric published literature are reviewed. Articles were retrieved, selected, and summarized to illustrate that results from separate but related fields of study are combinable to yield insights into the prevention and control of cancer and other chronic diseases in adulthood through the conduct of nonintervention and intervention research with children in clinical, public health, and other contexts. RESULTS: As illustrated by the evidence presented in this review, there are numerous reasons (biological, psychological, and social), opportunities (school and community, health care, and family settings), and approaches (nonintervention and intervention) to understand and impact behavior change in children's diet and nutrition and weight and physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Further development and evaluation of behavioral science intervention protocols conducted with children are necessary to understand the efficacy of these approaches and their public health impact on proximal and distal cancer, cancer-related, and chronic disease outcomes before diffusion. It is clear that more attention should be paid to early life and early developmental phases in cancer prevention.     

Pain and Effusion and Quadriceps Activation and Strength

Context:

Quadriceps dysfunction is a common consequence of knee joint injury and disease, yet its causes remain elusive.

Objective:

To determine the effects of pain on quadriceps strength and activation and to learn if simultaneous pain and knee joint effusion affect the magnitude of quadriceps dysfunction.

Design:

Crossover study.

Setting:

University research laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants:

Fourteen (8 men, 6 women; age = 23.6 ± 4.8 years, height = 170.3 ± 9.16 cm, mass = 72.9 ± 11.84 kg) healthy volunteers.

Intervention(s):

All participants were tested under 4 randomized conditions: normal knee, effused knee, painful knee, and effused and painful knee.

Main Outcome Measure(s):

Quadriceps strength (Nm/kg) and activation (central activation ratio) were assessed after each condition was induced.

Results:

Quadriceps strength and activation were highest under the normal knee condition and differed from the 3 experimental knee conditions (P < .05). No differences were noted among the 3 experimental knee conditions for either variable (P > .05).

Conclusions:

Both pain and effusion led to quadriceps dysfunction, but the interaction of the 2 stimuli did not increase the magnitude of the strength or activation deficits. Therefore, pain and effusion can be considered equally potent in eliciting quadriceps inhibition. Given that pain and effusion accompany numerous knee conditions, the prevalence of quadriceps dysfunction is likely high.Key Words: arthrogenic muscle inhibition, central activation failure, voluntary activation, muscles

Key Points

• Knee pain and effusion resulted in arthrogenic muscle inhibition and weakness of the quadriceps.
• The simultaneous presence of pain and effusion did not increase the magnitude of quadriceps dysfunction.
• To reduce arthrogenic muscle inhibition and improve muscle strength, clinicians should employ interventions that target removing both pain and effusion.

Quadriceps weakness is a common consequence of traumatic knee joint injury^1,2 and chronic degenerative knee joint conditions.^3,4 Arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), a neurologic decline in muscle activation, results in quadriceps weakness and hinders rehabilitation by preventing gains in strength.⁵ The inability to reverse AMI and restore muscle function can lead to decreased physical abilities,⁶ biomechanical deficits,⁷ and possibly reinjury.⁵ Furthermore, researchers^8,9 have suggested that quadriceps weakness resulting from AMI may place patients at risk for developing osteoarthritis in the knee. In light of the substantial influence of quadriceps AMI on these clinically relevant outcomes, we need to improve our understanding of the factors that contribute to this neurologic decline in muscle activity so efforts to target and reverse it can be implemented and gains in strength can be achieved more easily.Joint injury and disease are accompanied by numerous sequelae (ie, pain, swelling, tissue damage, inflammation), so ascertaining which one ultimately leads to neurologic muscle dysfunction is difficult. Whereas a joint effusion can result in AMI,^10–12 the effects of pain are less understood despite many clinicians attributing AMI to pain. Using techniques that introduce knee pain without accompanying injury may provide insights into the role of pain in eliciting AMI.The degree of knee joint damage may play a role in the quantity of AMI that manifests. Hurley et al^13,14 demonstrated that quadriceps AMI, measured using an interpolated-twitch technique, was greater in patients with extensive traumatic knee injury (eg, fractured tibial plateau, ruptured medial collateral ligament, and medial meniscectomy) than patients with isolated joint trauma (ie, isolated anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] rupture). Similarly, patients with more knee joint symptoms (ie, greater number of symptoms and increased severity of symptoms) may present with greater magnitudes of quadriceps inhibition. Recently, investigators¹⁵ have suggested that patients with more pain display less quadriceps strength, supporting this tenet. Given that effusion and pain often present simultaneously with joint injuries and diseases, such as ACL injury and osteoarthritis, examining both the isolated and cumulative effects of these sequelae appears warranted to determine if they influence the magnitude of muscle inhibition.Experimental joint-effusion and pain models are safe and effective experimental methods that allow for the isolated examination of their effects on muscle function. The effusion model, whereby sterile saline is injected directly into the knee joint capsule,⁷ produces a clinically relevant magnitude of the joint effusion that may be present with traumatic injury. Effusion is thought to activate group II afferents responding to stretch or pressure,^16–18 which in turn may facilitate group Ib interneurons and result in quadriceps AMI.⁵ The pain model involves injecting hypertonic saline into the infrapatellar fat pad to produce anteromedial knee pain similar to that described in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.¹⁹ Pain is considered to initiate AMI through activation of group III and IV afferents that act as nocioceptors to signal damage or potential damage to joint structures.^16–18 The firing of these afferents then may lead to facilitation of group Ib interneurons, the flexion reflex, or the gamma loop, ultimately resulting in quadriceps inhibition.²⁰ Thus, these models allow us to create symptoms that are associated with knee injury and have the added benefit of providing a way to examine their effects in isolation.Therefore, the purpose of our study was to determine the effects of pain on quadriceps strength and activation and to learn if simultaneous pain and knee joint effusion would affect the magnitude of quadriceps dysfunction. We hypothesized that pain alone would result in quadriceps inhibition and that the magnitude of inhibition would be greater when effusion and pain were present simultaneously.     

Beta-endorphin and drug-induced reward and reinforcement

Although drugs of abuse have different acute mechanisms of action, their brain pathways of reward exhibit common functional effects upon both acute and chronic administration. Long known for its analgesic effect, the opioid beta-endorphin is now shown to induce euphoria, and to have rewarding and reinforcing properties. In this review, we will summarize the present neurobiological and behavioral evidences that support involvement of beta-endorphin in drug-induced reward and reinforcement. Currently, evidence supports a prominent role for beta-endorphin in the reward pathways of cocaine and alcohol. The existing information indicating the importance of beta-endorphin neurotransmission in mediating the reward pathways of nicotine and THC, is thus far circumstantial. The studies described herein employed diverse techniques, such as biochemical measurements of beta-endorphin in various brain sites and plasma, and behavioral measurements, conducted following elimination (via administration of anti-beta-endorphin antibodies or using mutant mice) or augmentation (by intracerebral administration) of beta-endorphin. We suggest that the reward pathways for different addictive drugs converge to a common pathway in which beta-endorphin is a modulating element. beta-Endorphin is involved also with distress. However, reviewing the data collected so far implies a discrete role, beyond that of a stress response, for beta-endorphin in mediating the substance of abuse reward pathway. This may occur via interacting with the mesolimbic dopaminergic system and also by its interesting effects on learning and memory. The functional meaning of beta-endorphin in the process of drug-seeking behavior is discussed.     

PTEN与信号转导及肿瘤

ＴＥＮ[1] (ｐｈｏｓｐｈａｔａｓｅａｎｄｔｅｎｓｉｎｈｏｍｏｌｏｇｙｄｅｌｅｔｅｄｏｎｃｈｒｏｍｏｓｏｍｅｔｅｎ)又名ＭＭＡＣ1 [2 ] (ｍｕｔａｔｅｄｉｎｍｕｔｉｐｌｙａｄａｎｃｅｄｃａｎｃｅｒ 1 )和ＴＥＰ1 [3 ] (ＴＧＦ -βｒｅｇｕｌａｔｅｄａｎｄｅｐｉｔｈｅｌｉａｌｃｅｌｌ -ｒｉｃｈｅｄｐｈｏｓｐｈａｔａｓｅ 1 ) (以下均称为ＰＴＥＮ) ,是 1 997年由 3个研究小组先后发现的一个具有双特异磷酸酶活性的抑癌基因。ＰＴＥＮ基因异常广泛存在于人类多种恶性肿瘤 ,如恶性神经胶质瘤、前列腺癌、子宫内膜癌、黑色素瘤等…     

Tobacco and alcohol and the risk of head and neck cancer

Summary We carried out two case-control studies on the relative risk of head and neck cancer in association with tobacco and alcohol consumption. The first study carried out at the ENT Department of the University hospitals of Heidelberg and Giessen (FRG) comprised 200 male patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck and 800 control subjects matched for sex, age, and residential area (1:4 matching design). Of the tumour patients, 4.5% had never smoked, in contrast to 29.5% of the control group. The average tobacco and alcohol consumption of the patients was approximately twice as high as in the control subjects. The highest alcohol and tobacco consumption was observed in patients suffering from oropharyngeal cancer. Tobacco and alcohol increased the risk of head and neck cancer in a dose-dependent fashion and acted as independent risk factors. In heavy smokers (> 60 pack-years) a relative risk of 23.4 (alcohol adjusted) was calculated. Combined alcohol and tobacco consumption showed a synergistic effect. The risk ratio increased more in a multiplicative than in an additive manner. Oral and laryngeal cancer were associated with the highest tobacco-associated risk values. The highest ethanol-associated risk values were associated with oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. The second study was carried out at the ENT Department of the University of Heidelberg on 164 males with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and 656 control subjects matched for sex, age and residential area (1:4 matching design). Of the cases, 4.2% had never smoked, compared with 28.5% of the control subjects. The risk of laryngeal cancer by tobacco consumption was dose dependent, reaching a maximum value of 9.1 (adjusted for alcohol) for a consumption of more than 50 tobacco-years (TY). The relative risk of laryngeal cancer associated with alcohol intake was also dose dependent, reaching a value of 9.0 (adjusted for tobacco) for a mean daily consumption of more than 75 g alcohol. An analysis of subsite specific risks showed that heavy smokers (> 50 TY) carried a nearly ten times higher risk of supraglottic cancer than of glottic cancer. The risk of supraglottic cancer from alcohol consumption was also higher than that of glottic cancer.     

Postinfectious immunodeficiency and autoimmunity: pathogenic and clinical values and implications

Autoimmunity is still a mystery of clinical immunology and medicine as a whole. The etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders remain unclear and, thus, are assessed as a balance between hereditary predisposition, triggering factors and the appearance of autoantibodies and/or self-reactive T cells. Among the immunological armamentarium, molecular mimicry, based on self-reactive T- and B-cell activation by cross-reactive epitopes of infectious agents, is of special value. Hypotheses regarding the possible involvement of molecular mimicry in the development of postinfectious autoimmunity are currently very intriguing. They provide new approaches for identifying etiological agents that are associated with postinfectious autoimmunity, paired microbial- and tissue-linked epitopes targeted for autoimmune reaction determination, postinfectious autoimmunity pathogenesis recognition and specific prevention, and therapy for autoimmune disorder development.     

类赖氨酰氧化酶2与肿瘤转移和发生

类赖氨酰氧化酶2(lysyl oxidase-like 2,LOXL2)是赖氨酰氧化酶(lysyl oxidase,LOX)基因家族的成员之一,其表达产物能促进胶原沉积.LOXL2的过表达能促进纤维化,并与肿瘤侵袭、转移及不良预后有关.目前大部分学者认为LOXL2是一种转移促进基因,也有实验支持其是一种肿瘤抑制基因.研究发现LOXL2可以通过激活Snail/Ecadherin通路或Src/FAK通路促进转移.LOXL2有望作为肿瘤生物标志物,用于预后判断,成为一个新的治疗靶点.     

Muscle strength and serum testosterone,cortisol and SHBG concentrations in middle-aged and elderly men and women

Forty healthy males (M) and females (F) divided into two different age groups i.e. M50 years (range 44–57; n= 9), F50 years (range 43–54; n= 9), M70 years (range 64–73; n= 11) and F70 years (range 63–73; n= 11) volunteered as subjects for examination of muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and maximal voluntary isometric force production characteristics of the leg extensor muscles and serum androgen and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations. The CSA in the male groups was greatly larger (P < 0.01) than in the female groups and both elderly groups demonstrated slightly (n.s.) smaller values in the CSA than the two middle-aged groups. Maximal force of 2854 ± 452 N in M50 was greater (P < 0.05) than that of 2627 ± 752 N recorded for F50 as well as the force of 2787 ± 843 in M70 was greater (P < 0.001) than that of 1849 ± 295 recorded for F70. The force between F50 and F70 differed significantly (P < 0.05) from each other. The maximal rate of force production in M50 was greater (P < 0.01) than in F50 as well as in M70 greater (P < 0.001) than in F70. Both middle-aged groups demonstrated greater (P < 0.05) values than the respective elderly groups of the same sex. The individual values in the CSA correlated with the values in maximal force both in the middle-aged subjects (r= 0.66; P < 0.01) and in the elderly subjects (r= 0.69; P < 0.01). The mean concentration of serum testosterone in M50 was slightly (n.s.) greater than in M70 and in F50 significantly (P < 0.05) greater than in F70. Serum SHBG levels were lower in the males (P < 0.01) than in the females and serum testosterone/SHBG ratio in M70 and in F70 were lower (P < 0.05) than in M50 and in F50, respectively. In the females significant positive correlations were observed between the individual values in serum testosterone concentration and the values both in the CSA (r= 0.46; P < 0.05) and in maximal force (r= 0.62; P < 0.01) as well as between serum testosterone/SHBG ratio and both the CSA (r= 0.55; P < 0.05) and maximal force (r= 0.68; P < 0.01). The present results imply that the decreasing basal level of blood testosterone over the years in aging people, especially in females, may lead to decreasing anabolic effects on muscles thus having an association with age-related declines in the maximal voluntary neuromuscular performance capacity in aging people.