Bone growth patterns in Chinese children and adolescents: a 6-year follow-up study provides evidence for sexual dimorphism and tracking

Summary We prospectively examined bone growth patterns in 894 children aged 6–17 years at the baseline visit, with a 6-year follow-up. Results show bone “tracking” over a six-year interval and sexual dimorphism of bone attained levels and timing of peak bone growth. Our findings underscore childhood and adolescence as critical periods for building bone and developing gender differences. Introduction Bone growth patterns were prospectively examined in 894 Chinese children (496 males), aged 6–17 yrs, from a population-based twin cohort. Whole-body bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured by DEXA at baseline and a 6-yr follow-up. Methods Graphic smoothing plots and generalized estimating equations were used to model bone attained levels, growth, and “tracking”. Results Attained levels of BMC and BA increased curvilinearly with age. Male attained levels were higher than females after age ∼15 yr, but BMD was lower between 13–17 yrs (Tanner stage I to IV). In both genders, peak BMC and BMD growth lagged ∼2 yrs behind peak BA growth, which lagged 2 yrs behind peak height growth. Peak bone growth occurred 1–3 yrs later in males. Over the 6-yr follow-up, all bone measurements “tracked”, but “shifting” across ranks also occurred, and baseline tertile ranking influenced bone growth. Females with early menarche had higher attained levels than females with late menarche at age 12–13 yrs. Conclusion Our findings confirm and expand previous studies on peak bone growth conducted in Caucasian cohorts, particularly sexually dimorphic and maturational effects. The significant “tracking” of bone measurements in this 6-yr follow-up study underscores the importance that osteoporosis prevention should begin in childhood and adolescence. Fengxiu Ouyang and Binyan Wang contributed equally to this article. Source(s) of support: This study is supported in part by grant R01 HD049059, R01 HL0864619 and R01 AR045651 from the National Institute of Health and by the Food Allergy Project.     

An analysis of the paradoxical effect of morphine on runway speed and food consumption

A previously reported paradigm in which rats run down a runway for food reward followed by morphine injection was analyzed to assess the utility of the paradigm in studies of opiate reinforcement. One experiment replicated the original report that post-trial morphine caused both an increase in runway speed and a decrease in food consumption (taste aversion) over successive trials, and showed in addition that the increase in runway speed did not occur as a result of food deprivation alone, but required the animals to have consumed food in the goal box. A second study using the quaternary opiate antagonist methyl naltrexone to block the peripheral effects of morphine suggested that the increase in runway speed has a peripheral locus while the taste aversion has a central one. A third experiment in which morphine was microinjected into either the lateral ventricle or the ventral tegmental area supported these observations, in that intracranial morphine failed to result in an increased runway speed, but did produce taste aversion after microinjection into either site. These findings also suggest that the increase in runway speed caused by post-trial morphine in this experiment has a peripheral locus of effect, which is probably distinct from the central effect that supports morphine self-administration and conditioned place preference. Offprint requests to: W.A.CorrigallThe views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Addiction Research Foundation     

The relationship between reproductive state and "sexually" dimorphic brain areas in sexually reproducing and parthenogenetic whiptail lizards

The anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area and ventromedial hypothalamus are sexually dimorphic in the reproductively active whiptail lizard Cnemidophorus inornatus. The anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area, which is involved in the control of male-typical copulatory behaviors, is larger in males, whereas the ventromedial hypothalamus, which is involved in the control of female-typical receptivity, is larger in females. In the parthenogenetic whiptail lizard C. uniparens, which is a direct descendant of C. inornatus and exhibits both male-like and female-like pseudosexual behaviors, both brain areas are comparable in size to those of female C. inornatus. This study was conducted to determine whether these brain areas change in size in either species or sex during a time of year when these animals are reproductively inactive, or after removal of the gonads. In male C. inornatus both brain areas changed during reproductive inactivity (either seasonally or surgically induced) and became equivalent to the size characteristic of reproductively active female C. inornatus. When corrected for brain size, the anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area was significantly smaller in intact hibernating and castrated males than in intact males from the summer breeding season. Conversely, the ventromedial hypothalamus was significantly larger in intact hibernating and castrated males than in intact males from the summer breeding season. The two brain areas were not significantly different among the groups of female C. inornatus or parthenogenetic C. uniparens. These results suggest that 1) the brain of whiptail lizards may differentiate seasonally and 2) the female state may be a neutral one to which the male brain reverts during reproductive inactivity.     

Formation of Neurons in the Sexually Dimorphic Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus of the Preoptic Area of the Rat: Effects of Prenatal Treatment with Testosterone Propionate

An examination was made of neurogenesis in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPv) of the preoptic area of the rat using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analog, and a BrdU-specific antibody. Cells in the AVPv of adult rats were labeled with the antibody when BrdU was injected into pregnant rats once during day 13 to 18 of gestation, but not during day 10 to 12 nor 19 to 20 of gestation nor on postnatal day 1, indicating that neurogenesis of the AVPv occurs during a limited period from day 13 to 18 of gestation. Next, to examine the effects of androgen on neurogenesis, BrdU was injected once on day 15 into pregnant rats that also received injections of testosterone propionate (TP). The number of BrdU-labeled cells in the AVPv was similar in control female and male fetuses and female fetuses from pregnant rats that received daily injections of TP during days 14 to 16, when fetuses were examined on day 17 of gestation. These results suggest that the neurogenesis that was recognized by labeling with BrdU was not affected by the treatment with TP. On day 21 of gestation, BrdU-labeled cells in the AVPv of control male fetuses and female fetuses that received TP during days 14 to 18 were fewer in number than those in female fetuses of the control group, whereas treatments with TP during days 14 to 16 and during days 17 to 18 did not cause any significant decrease in number of BrdU-labeled cells. These findings support the hypothesis that elimination of a population of cells, for example, by cell death as described previously, is enhanced in male fetuses and in female fetuses treated with TP repetitively.     

Movement-related potential measures of different modes of movement selection in Parkinson's disease

Movement-related potentials were recorded preceding self-paced voluntary movements in patients with Parkinson's disease and in healthy subjects of the same age group. We compared the Readiness Potential preceding joystick movements in a fixed direction and preceding joystick movements in freely selected directions. In normal subjects the Readiness Potential amplitude was higher preceding freely selected movements than preceding movements in a fixed direction. The Readiness Potential in Parkinson patients failed to be modified by the different modes of movement selection. The modulation of the Readiness Potential by different ways of preparing for movement might be due to the supplementary motor area (SMA) being more strongly engaged by tasks requiring internal control of movements than by tasks that are externally structured. The results suggest that this task-dependent variation of SMA activity is reduced in Parkinson's disease. A failing capacity to adapt SMA activity to different task demands has previously been suggested by evidence from positron emission tomography studies using similar tasks.     

Widespread cortical projections of the ventral tegmental area and of other brain stem structures in the cat

Summary Thirty-three cat brains with injections of horseradish peroxidase in various regions of the cerebral cortex were screened for afferent projections from the ventral tegmental area, the locus ceruleus, and the parabrachial nuclei. All three structures were found to project to rather divergent parts of the cortex, including regions in the posterior half of the hemisphere. These results, especially for the ventral tegmental area and, to a lesser degree, for the parabrachial neurons, disagree with most of the target loci of established cortical afferents in the rat. Though our results might be attributed to species differences in the cortical innervation of brain stem structures, we prefer explanations which emphasize different densities in the distribution of brain stem afferents to the cortex, and/or which suggest different cortical targets of catecholaminergic and noncatecholaminergic neurons.Supported in part by grant Ma 795 from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)     

北京农村居民健康状况及卫生服务需求调查

目的了解北京农村居民健康状况及卫生服务需求特点。方法从昌平区、顺义区、大兴区、房山区随机抽取25～64岁农民1605人进行统一问卷调查。结果农民高血压自报患病率为22．4％，超重和肥胖率为56．1％；现在吸烟率为34．4％，缺乏运动率为41．6％；家庭主要经济支出为学生上学(35．3％)，建房(25．4％)和疾病(21．2％)；54．9％家庭医疗费用支出占总收入的10％以上；最关心的健康问题主要是慢性疾病防治(70．2％)；最希望获得的健康知识是慢性病预防知识(72％)；希望获得健康知识的途径是广播和电视(81％)；家庭最希望获得的医疗保健服务是方便看病和获得药物(73．8％)。结论慢性病给农民带来沉重负担，并成为农民关心的主要健康问题。     

Predictors, costs and characteristics of out of area placement for people with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour

Background Out of area placements for people with challenging behaviour represent an expensive and often ineffective strategy for meeting the needs of this service user group. Methods More than 800 agencies and service settings in a large area of South Wales were screened to identify children and adults with challenging behaviour against a number of defined operational criteria. Detailed data on identified individuals and the services they received were collected by interviewing key informants. Univariate and multivariate statistics were employed to identify predictors of out of area placement. Results In total, 1458 people were identified. Full data were available for 901 participants, 97 of whom were placed out of area. Predictors of out of area placement included behaviours resulting in physical injury and exclusion from service settings, a history of formal detention under the mental health act, the presence of mental health problems, a diagnosis of autism and higher total score on the Adaptive Behaviour Scale. Out of area placements were typically of high cost, and associated with only limited evidence of improved service quality. Conclusions Identifying predictors for out of area placement can be used to highlight deficiencies in local services and individuals at increased risk of exclusion from local services.     

活性炭纤维在地方性氟中毒方面的应用展望

介绍了活性炭纤维（ＡＣＦｓ）的制造，特性及其应用。它具有优异的结耕与性能特征。含碳量高，比表面积大，微孔丰富，从而吸附力强，而且活性炭纤维还可制成纱、布、毡等形状，它可用于去除燃煤氟中毒区室内空气中氟化氢、二氧化硫、氧化氮、氨等污染物，利用它的高吸附性能还可较好的去除饮水中的氟化物及其他有害物质。活性炭纤维是一种新型高效吸附材料。在氟中毒防治方面有广阔的前途。