Body Size Indices Research Articles

Association between four anthropometric indices with age-related Macular Degeneration from NHANES 2005–2008

BackgroundAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) decrease vision and presents considerable challenges for both public health and clinical management strategies. Obesity is usually implicated with increased AMD, and body mass index (BMI) does not reflect body fat distribution. An array of studies has indicated a robust relationship between body fat distribution and obesity. This research is to evaluate the relationship between anthropometric measurements and AMD in the United States citizens in a cohort of patients.MethodsOur study included a cohort of 3,127 participants, all of whom were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005 and 2008. Various anthropometric indices, including weight (WT), waist circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), circularity index (CI), weight-adjusted waist circumference index (WWI), body roundness index (BRI), a body size index (ABSI), and visceral adiposity index (VAI), have been studied extensively within public health and nutrition to assess body fat distribution. Odds ratios (OR) for each anthropometric index, in relation to AMD and its different stages, were computed, adjusting for confounding variables. Smoothed curve fitting, coupled with weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis, was used to examine the impact of these anthropometric measures on the prevalence of AMD. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to gender, age, BMI, drinking, smoking, CVD, diabetes, hypertension, cataract operation, and glaucoma.ResultsAfter adjusting for all variables, significant positive correlations were observed between WtHR (OR = 1.237 (1.065−1.438)), BRI (OR = 1.221 (1.058−1.410)), CI (OR = 1.189 (1.039−1.362)), and WWI (OR = 1.250 (1.095−1.425)) with AMD, particularly for early AMD. However, no significant effects of these indicators were observed in late AMD. CI exhibited a positive linear relationship with AMD. Two-segment linear regression modeling revealed positive nonlinear associations between WtHR, BRI, and WWI with AMD. The positive association was more pronounced with excessive alcohol consumption for WtHR, BRI, CI, and WWI (P for interaction = 0.0033, 0.0021, 0.0194, and 0.0022, respectively). Additionally, WWI and CI exhibited stronger associations with AMD in females (P for interaction = 0.0146 and 0.0117, respectively). Furthermore, WtHR was associated with AMD in non-smokers (P for interaction = 0.0402).ConclusionThis study confirmed a increased risk between four anthropometric measures, including WtHR, BRI, CI, and WWI, with AMD, especially early AMD. The findings suggest that these four anthropometric indices should be more broadly utilized to improve early AMD prevention and treatment strategies. Additionally, we found that the positive association between these four body measurement indices and AMD was more pronounced in individuals with high alcohol consumption.

Intergenerational trends in body size among Moscow's young adults: socio-demographic influences of the 20th century.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of socio-demographic and epidemiological factors on the secular changes in body size indicators (height, weight, and BMI) among young adults aged 17-22 years in Moscow from the early 20th century to the present. Published average anthropometric data from screening surveys conducted from 1880/1925-26 to 2020-21 were analysed (4,823 males and 5,952 females), along with demographic data from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation. Findings revealed consistent anthropometric trends and strong associations between secular changes in body size of Moscow youth and socio-demographic indicators such as population size, life expectancy, and infant mortality rates. An increase in height and weight was noted against the backdrop of urbanisation, increased life expectancy, and reduced infant mortality. These results indicate that the urbanisation process and the transformation of the epidemiological landscape in 20th-century Russia - marked by enhancements in public health, modernisation of the healthcare system, and medical advancements - have had a significant impact on changes in body size across generations. Notably, from the mid-20th century onwards, with the exception of the final decade, conditions favourable to growth and development were established, culminating in a significant increase in definitive anthropometric parameters across successive generations. The findings underscore the imperative for policymakers to bolster investments in urban development, healthcare, and education. Such strategic investments are essential for sustaining and amplifying the positive physical development trends witnessed.

A028: AI and Education: The Impact of Virtual Physical Education on Physical Fitness of College Students

Background/Purpose: Educational artificial intelligence has been attracting peoples’ attention as a high-profile research topic. At the end of 2022, the boom of ChatGPT raised a trend to discuss whether the best future education is virtual education or AI education. However, the impact of the new education model which tends to cancel school entities still deserves further exploration. Especially, the impact of this new education model on students' physical fitness needs to be studied. Method: Research data are supported by the physical education academic of Jiaying University in south China. Each year, every Chinese university will complete an annual physical fitness test for undergraduates. Totally, physical fitness test data of 15,000 Chinese undergraduate students were monitored before and after the intervention. After data collection and cleaning, paired-samples t-test was applied to analyze the differences between the data before and after the intervention. Results: As the analysis results demonstrated, after 8 months of intervention, the body size index: BMI had increased significantly both in males and females; the vital capacity test results of all students had declined; Aerobic capacity: male students had shown different trends from females, with males’ data being better than before; Flexibility and explosive power of all college students were obviously improved; Strength quality indexes, such as timed sit-ups (female) and pull-ups (male), have both decreased slightly. Conclusion/Discussion: The possible effects of large-scale AI online physical education on college students' physical strength are still worthy of further exploration. Based on the research above, for universities, abolishing the college entity may result in increased BMI, reduced cardiopulmonary function, and weakened women's aerobic endurance and men’s flexibility. If the problems of BMI, cardiopulmonary function, women's aerobic endurance, and men’s flexibility can be solved, it is possible that college physical education could be implemented without school entities.

Length‐Based Assessment of Hovsgol Grayling (Thymallus nigrescens), Lenok (Brachymystax lenok), and Burbot (Lota lota) Population Status in Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia

ABSTRACTDespite the global importance of inland fisheries, data available for stock assessment is often limited. Data‐limited methods that use length composition data offer a potential approach to assessing more inland fisheries. We assessed the population status of three fish species in Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia through length‐based spawning potential ratio (LBSPR) analysis and evaluation of trends in eight length‐based indicators of population status, catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE), and body size. Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens) were not yet overfished, but CPUE and body size declined due to targeting of large, mature fish. Lenok (Brachymystax lenok) were experiencing overfishing, especially of small, immature fish, which contributed to size–structure truncation. The burbot (Lota lota) population was healthy according to most indicators, but the lack of local life history information exacerbated already large uncertainties. Continued monitoring and improved coordination among fishers, managers, and scientists will be critical to enhancing the sustainability of these fisheries.

Syringophilid Quill Mites Obey Harrison’s Rule

Harrison’s Rule (HR) postulates a positive allometry between host and parasite body sizes. We tested HR for Syringophilid quill mites parasitizing birds. Using host body mass and parasite body length as size indices, this pattern was absent in the Syringophilidae family and the Syringophilinae subfamily as a whole. However, when considering the parasite genera as units of study, as proposed originally by Harrison, we found that host body mass positively correlates with both male and female parasite body length in seven genera (Aulobia, Aulonastus, Neoaulonastus, Picobia, Neopicobia, Syringophilopsis, and Torotrogla). Most of these relationships were non-significant. On the contrary, male and female Syringophiloidus mites exhibited negative relationships with host mass (both non-significant). This apparent contradiction disappeared when we applied wing length as an index of host body size. Since species of this genus are specific to the host flight feathers (secondaries and also primaries), wing length is a more meaningful index of host body size than body mass. Overall, most cases corresponded to the positive direction predicted by Harrison when examined on the genus level. This finding also implies a surprising reliability of the genus concept, at least in this group of ectoparasites.

Relationship between obesity, body composition, and pulmonary function among Korean adults aged 40 years and older

Pulmonary function is influenced by factors such as age, sex, height, and weight. This study investigated the relationship between obesity, body composition, and pulmonary function measures (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and the FEV1-to-FVC ratio) of Korean adults aged 40 years and older. Using the fifth Korea national health and nutrition examination survey in 2010 and 2011, multiple regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with pulmonary function, stratified by sex. Independent variables were waist circumference (WC) and an additional measure of obesity/muscularity (weight in model 1, body mass index [BMI] in model 2, and fat-free mass index [FFMI] in model 3). Among 3918 adults, the mean FFMI was 17.7 and 15.0 kg/m2 for men and women, respectively. Weight and BMI were positively associated with only FEV1 (B = 0.003 and B = 0.006, respectively, p < 0.01) and the FEV1-to-FVC ratio (B = 0.001, p < 0.01) in women. FFMI was positively associated with FEV1 and FVC in both sexes (B = 0.019, p < 0.05 for FEV1 and B = 0.020, p < 0.01 for FVC in men; B = 0.025, p < 0.0001 for FEV1 and B = 0.022, p < 0.0001 for FVC in women). WC was inversely associated with FEV1 and FVC in men and FEV1 in women, respectively. Weight and BMI behaved as indicators of body size based on their positive associations with pulmonary function. In conclusion, FFMI can be an important and consistent predictor of pulmonary function in both men and women.

The content of reindeer male vocalisations: acoustic cues to age and size

ABSTRACT Some acoustic parameters of animal vocalisations have been shown to reliably indicate male quality and play a role in mate and rival assessment. Reindeer possess a peculiar vocal tract anatomy involving a laryngeal air sac which probably acts as an additional filter, making it a candidate species for novel investigations in the field of bioacoustics. We investigated whether some acoustic parameters of male rutting vocalisations were good indicators of age and body weight (used as an index for body size). We did this by performing acoustic analyses using recordings collected from a semi-domesticated reindeer population in northern Finland. We found the age of subadult males (aged 2.5–4.5 years) to be negatively correlated with formant F3 and formant spacing, suggesting that their vocalisations convey information on the caller’s age. Individual formant frequencies were not affected by male body weight, but formant spacing was lower in heavier males. Despite the presence of the laryngeal air sac, formant spacing seems to be an acoustic parameter influencing mate and rival assessment in reindeer as it gives an honest indication of male body size. We discuss the importance of reliable acoustic cues to quality indices in sexual selection contexts.

Investigating neonatal health risk variables through cell-type specific methylome-wide association studies

Adverse neonatal outcomes are a prevailing risk factor for both short- and long-term mortality and morbidity in infants. Given the importance of these outcomes, refining their assessment is paramount for improving prevention and care. Here we aim to enhance the assessment of these often correlated and multifaceted neonatal outcomes. To achieve this, we employ factor analysis to identify common and unique effects and further confirm these effects using criterion-related validity testing. This validation leverages methylome-wide profiles from neonatal blood. Specifically, we investigate nine neonatal health risk variables, including gestational age, Apgar score, three indicators of body size, jaundice, birth diagnosis, maternal preeclampsia, and maternal age. The methylomic profiles used for this research capture data from nearly all 28 million methylation sites in human blood, derived from the blood spot collected from 333 neonates, within 72 h post-birth. Our factor analysis revealed two common factors, size factor, that captured the shared effects of weight, head size, height, and gestational age and disease factor capturing the orthogonal shared effects of gestational age, combined with jaundice and birth diagnosis. To minimize false positives in the validation studies, validation was limited to variables with significant cumulative association as estimated through an in-sample replication procedure. This screening resulted in that the two common factors and the unique effects for gestational age, jaundice and Apgar were further investigated with full-scale cell-type specific methylome-wide association analyses. Highly significant, cell-type specific, associations were detected for both common effect factors and for Apgar. Gene Ontology analyses revealed multiple significant biologically relevant terms for the five fully investigated neonatal health risk variables. Given the established links between adverse neonatal outcomes and both immediate and long-term health, the distinct factor effects (representing the common and unique effects of the risk variables) and their biological profiles confirmed in our work, suggest their potential role as clinical biomarkers for assessing health risks and enhancing personalized care.

Influence of adult body size on blood feeding behavior and eggs retention in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mosquito-borne viruses continue to affect billions of people globally, posing a severe health risk and an economic burden. Aedes albopictus (Skuse), a highly invasive mosquito species, has repeatedly invaded and increased its presence, serving as a key vector of dengue virus, yellow fever virus (YFV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), causing frequent outbreaks of related viral diseases. This study investigated the impact of larval diet quantity on larval duration and adult body size. The effect of adult mosquito body size on various aspects of Ae. albopictus was also examined, including blood-feeding behavior, follicular development, reproductive capacity, egg retention capacity, preoviposition period, and fecundity. These diverse characteristics all have an effect on arboviruses transmission. The changes in body size (small, medium, and large) are obtained by providing different quantities of larval diet (low, average, and high). The results indicate that the quantity of larval diet directly impacts the adult body size while inversely affecting the larval duration. Furthermore, a positive correlation exists between adult body size and wing length, implying that wing length could be a reliable indicator of adult body size and rearing conditions during the developmental stages. Large females exhibited higher numbers of follicles and greater fecundity. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between follicle number before the first blood meal and total egg number. In contrast, increasing wing length decreased the number of blood meals, egg retention, and the preoviposition period. The tendency of small females to perform multiple feedings was greater than that of large females. Small females exhibited a higher propensity for multiple feeding activities when compared to their larger counterparts. Most medium-sized females (92.8%) deposited eggs in their ovaries, however, 7.2% retained a few. In contrast, most large females (87.4%) had complete ovary egg-laying, whereas a minority (12.6%) retained some of their eggs. About 35.2% of small females showed ovarian egg retention, while 64.8% successfully laid all their eggs. After the first blood meal, the oviposition rate was 92% for large females, 88% for medium females, and 76% for small females. About 69.86% of the follicles in large females underwent vitellogenesis. This finding suggests that small females with low energy reserves exhibited incomplete oviposition and multiple blood feedings to increase their reproductive capacity. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Add more information about arbovirus epidemics and their consequences. Aedes albopictus is a global invasive species that transmit dengue virus, CHIKV, YFV, and ZIKV. A negative correlation was observed between body size, egg retention, and multiple blood feedings in Aedes albopictus. Size of the female's body was positively correlated with fecundity, while it was negatively correlated with the preoviposition period. Size-dependent multiple blood feeding affects vector-host contact frequency.

Abstract 3437: Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in association with body size and composition among Black and White women with breast cancer

Abstract Background: Obesity is a major risk factor for breast cancer and negatively affects disease prognosis. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the stroma of breast tissue play a major role in eliminating cancer cells and modulating immunotherapy efficacy. We aim to study the association between body size and composition with stromal TILs in breast tumor tissue by race. Methods: The study included 920 Black and 395 White women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer who have stromal TIL scores from the Women’s Circle of Health Study (WCHS). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured during the home interview. Pre-treatment H&amp;E-stained tumor tissue sections were reviewed by our study pathologist and stromal TILs were scored on a scale of 0-100% at 10% increment according to the recommendations of the International TILs Working Group. Linear regressions adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumor grade, stage, and molecular subtype were used to test the differences in TILs across the categories of body size and composition indicators separately for Black and White women. Results: A higher stromal TILs score was associated with more aggressive breast cancer features, including higher grade, larger tumor size, more advanced stage, hormone receptor (HR) negativity, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity in both Black and White women (all P&amp;lt;0.05). Among Black women, WHR &amp;gt;0.90 vs ≤0.85 was associated with lower TILs overall (β = -3.5%, P = 0.045) and in triple-negative tumors (β = -12.3%, P = 0.003). Among White women, BMI 25.0 - 29.9 vs &amp;lt;25 was associated with higher TILs in HR-/HER2+ tumors (β = 28.1%, P = 0.031). A pattern suggested that BMI ≥30 vs &amp;lt;25 was associated with lower TILs in both HR-/HER2+ (β = -10.2, P=0.52) and triple-negative (β = -12.8, P=0.14) tumors, although the associations were not significant. No association was observed between TILs and any of the body composition parameters in women with HR+ tumors. Conclusions and Relevance: Body size and composition correlate with stromal TILs mainly in patients with HR- tumors, and this relation may be race-dependent. These findings suggest that body size and composition potentially modulate breast cancer treatment outcomes at least in part through TILs-dependent mechanisms. Funding: This work was in part supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (P01CA151135, R01CA100598, R01CA185623, P30CA016056, P30CA072720, K07CA201334, and R37CA248371), US Army Medical Research and Material Command (DAMD-17-01-1-0334), the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (CBA), and the Philip L. Hubbell family. Citation Format: Rand T. Akasheh, Thaer Khoury, Song Yao, Angela Omilian, Chi-Chen Hong, Elisa V. Bandera, Bonnie Qin, Nur Zeinomar, Christine Ambrosone, Ting-Yuan David Cheng. Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in association with body size and composition among Black and White women with breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3437.

Optimization for the Contrast Enhancement at Head Computed Tomography Angiography by using the Patient Body Size Indexes: Identifying the Patient Body Size Indexes with the Most Significant Correlation

Optimization for the Contrast Enhancement at Head Computed Tomography Angiography by using the Patient Body Size Indexes: Identifying the Patient Body Size Indexes with the Most Significant Correlation

Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death

The companion dog is one of the most phenotypically diverse species. Variability between breeds extends not only to morphology and aspects of behaviour, but also to longevity. Despite this fact, little research has been devoted to assessing variation in life expectancy between breeds or evaluating the potential for phylogenetic characterisation of longevity. Using a dataset of 584,734 unique dogs located within the UK, including 284,734 deceased, we present variation in longevity estimates within the following: parental lineage (purebred = 1 breed, crossbred ≥ 2 breeds), breed (n = 155), body size (large, medium, small), sex (male, female) and cephalic index (brachycephalic, mesocephalic, dolichocephalic). Survival estimates were then partitioned amongst phylogenetic clades: providing evidence that canine evolutionary history (via domestication and associated artificial selection) is associated with breed lifespan. This information provides evidence to inform discussions regarding pedigree health, whilst helping current/prospective owners, breeders, policy makers, funding bodies and welfare organisations improve decision making regarding canine welfare.

Examining the Relationship Between Obesity and Income Distribution Using Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Shape and Size Index (BSSI): A Case Study of Pakistan.

Obesity and income (wage) distribution have emerged as one of the most serious public health concerns but in this research, the study is continued under body mass index (BMI) and body shape and size index (BSSI) among children and adults in Pakistan. This cross-sectional study investigated the health-related behaviors and outcomes of 2,223 children and adults aged 2 to 19 years from Multan, Pakistan, including both males and females, providing a comprehensive understanding of the health status in this population. Data about gender, weight, height, age, family income and other demographic measures are recorded. For the measurement of BMI and BSSI, the latest formulas and methods were used. Different variables were applied through statistical description understudy. To check out the wage distribution in BSSI and BMI, the comparative approach was used and performed a role in making charts for BSSI and BMI against family income, age group and gender. The mean BMI and BSSI for complete data are 18.00 and 0.23 for the age group of 2 to 5 years of children with family income less than 10,000. Similarly, these figures are 20.59 and 0.29 for the family income greater than 50,000. Most important things have been observed by this study, that income greatly affected the rate of obesity. BMI and BSSI increased by increasing the family income of children and adults in Pakistan. BMI and BSSI show high figures for female respondents as compared to male ones, observed by this research.

Характеристика полисинаптической рефлекторной возбудимости ствола головного мозга у больных с экзогенно-конституциональным ожирением

The purpose — to study the characteristics of polysynaptic reflex excitability of the brain stem based on an electroneuromyographic research of the blink reflex in patients with exogenous constitutional obesity (ECO). Material and methods. 288 women (mean age 37.5 (2.8) years) with ECO and 45 healthy women of the same age group were examined. All patients underwent a clinical and anthropometric examination, including quantitative indicators of body size and weight and electroneuromyographic study of the blink reflex (BR). Results. The anthropometric study revealed the presence of two variants of fat deposition topography — android (AT) and gynoid (GT) types. The ratio of ECO-AT and ECO-GT in this sample was 41.28% and 58.72%, respectively. Patients with ECO-GT showed a significant increase in the duration of the R2 component of the BR (44.1 (1.5) ms) (p &lt;0.01), a reduction in its latency (35.5 (0.8) ms) (p &lt; 0.05) and a decrease in the threshold (1.9 (0.1) mA) (p &lt; 0.01) compared to the indicators of healthy subjects. A direct significant correlation was found between the level of polysynaptic reflex excitability and the level of obesity (r = 0.75, p &lt; 0.05). The data obtained characterize the role of a lack of inhibition processes in the central nervous system and a functional deficit of the sensorimotor component in the ECO development mechanisms, with a disorder of autonomic nervous system and behavioural and emotional disorders, including eating behavior. As the degree of obesity increases, as well as with a more unfavorable pathogenetic type of ECO, the severity of changes in polysynaptic reflex excitability of the brain stem also increases. Conclusions. The study of polysynaptic reflex excitability of the brain stem by electroneuromyographic BR testing shows the role of dysfunction of the CNS suprasegmental parts in the ECO development and progression.

Shell shape-habitat correlations in extant turtles: A global-scale analysis

Animal morphological structure can influence behaviour and interaction with the environment. Owing to their wide range of habitats, from aquatic to terrestrial, and their variation in shell shapes, turtles are highly suitable for ecomorphological studies. However, previous studied have encountered several limitations, including small sample sizes, simplified habitat classification, and no consideration of sexual dimorphism, that may prevent the identification of the ecological mechanisms responsible for divergent morphologies of turtles on a global scale. In this study, we collected the carapace length (CL), carapace width (CW), and carapace height (CH), as an indicators of body size, from 6664 adult individuals of 115 species, 61 genera, and 11 families and calculated the ratio between the CH and CW to delineate shell shape. These turtle species were divided into four habitat types (marine, freshwater, mainland, and island) and eight subtypes (freshwater: large lentic, large lotic, small lentic, small lotic, all water bodies; mainland: desert, flatland, highland) to better understand the ecomorphological alteration of their shell shape. The results of the linear regression showed that shell shape became flat with increasing body size in aquatic turtles, whereas the opposite trend was observed for male mainland tortoises. According to the results of the general linear model, there was a gradual increase in the domed shape of turtle shells from sea to freshwater habitats, from freshwater to mainland terrestrial habitats, and from mainland to island terrestrial habitats. There were no significant differences between the shell shape and habitat subtype for freshwater turtles and mainland tortoises. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first investigation into the variation pattern of shell shape in turtles living in habitats ranging from marine to island and its relationship to body size. The study results suggest that conservation strategies for turtles should consider both their shell shape and habitat characteristics.

Modeling using discriminant analysis of the possibility of occurrence and features of the course of various forms of urticaria in ukrainian women depending on the features of anthropo-somatotypological indicators

Annotation. Predicting the risk of occurrence and course of any disease is the most important and central topic of any branch of clinical medicine. This especially applies to chronic and recurrent diseases that lead to deterioration of the bone of life. One of these diseases is urticaria. The use of anthropometric indicators to achieve this goal is an economically, pathogenetically and logically justified choice. The purpose of the study is to build and analyze discriminative models of the possibility of occurrence and features of the course of urticaria in Ukrainian women depending on anthropometric and somatotypological indicators. On the basis of the Military Medical Clinical Center of the Central Region and the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases with a postgraduate course at the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, a clinical-laboratory and anthropo-somatotypological examination of 40 young Ukrainian women with acute and chronic urticaria of the mild and severe course As a control group, the indicators of body structure and dimensions of 101 practically healthy Ukrainian women of a similar age group were used, which were taken from the data bank of the research center of the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya. With the help of the license package “Statistica 6.0”, discriminant models of the possibility of occurrence and characteristics of the course of urticaria in Ukrainian women were built, depending on anthropometric and somatotypological indicators. In Ukrainian women, based on the characteristics of anthropo-somatotypological indicators, reliable discriminative models were built, which allow with a high probability to classify them as “typical” for practically healthy or patients with urticaria, as well as “typical” for mild or severe acute urticaria course (correspondingly correct in 89.4 % of cases, Wilks' Lambda statistic=0.080, p&lt;0.001). When taking into account the structure and body size indicators among women with urticaria, a reliable interpretation of the obtained classification indicators is possible only between a mild and severe course of the disease (correspondingly, the correctness of 52.5 % of cases, Wilks' Lambda statistic=0.465, p&lt;0.001).

FEATURES OF SELECTION AND BREEDING IN POPULATIONS OF SILVER-BLACK FOX AND POLAR FOX CAGE BREEDING

Based on the results of a retrospective analysis of the breeding of the silverblack fox and the polar fox of the animal husbandry of the Cherkasy RegionalConsumer Union, a study of the variability and nature of the inheritance ofbreeding traits by animals in a number of generations was conducted, the breedingvalue was determined and the optimal schemes for the formation of families of furanimals were substantiated. The results of studying the genealogical structure ofthe polar fox population confirmed the presence of 25 lineages and 110 families.For the silver-black fox population, this indicator was the presence of 37 lineagesand 120 families, which constitute the core of the population.In the conditions of this animal husbandry, the degree of realization of thegenetic potential in the populations of fur animals is a high level of this indicator -87.1-95.0%. The maximum values of this indicator are noted for quality indicatorsof fur, since the variability of this feature between generations is insignificant. Ahigher difference was traditionally observed for the body size indicator and forsuch an indicator of reproductive capacity as fecundity of females - 87.1-88.0%.The latter in the descendants was 0.28-0.68 goals. lower than the similar value forherd and pedigree, respectively.It was established that in the vast majority of cases of growth of theindicator, the calculated coefficient increased in the first generation relative to theparent herd and slightly decreased in the next generation, which may be due to ahigher level of variability of traits caused by genetic splitting of the trait in the nextgeneration.The maximum values of phenotypic consolidation were registered accordingto the body size indicator - 0.64-0.88 points. The minimum value was registered forthe population of polar foxes, respectively, the maximum value of the indicator wasregistered for the first generation of silver-black foxes.The progenitors of the lines in the polar fox population were characterizedby a fairly wide range of the breeding value index - 39-146 points. The main shareof breeders (10.61-23.48%) had a score within 139-144 points. For female headsof families, this indicator was: 14.72-35.85% - 141-143 points, in general, therange for the indicator of tribal value was within 139-146 points. The establishedindicators for the silver-black fox population have a distribution of the share ofbreeders and progenitors close to normal. Among males participating in theselection process, the maximum share of animals 10.81-21.62% had 141-144 points according to the evaluation results, for females this indicator was registeredfor animals evaluated 139-14 points (10.0-28.3 %).For polar foxes, the maximum coefficient of phenotypic consolidation ofyoung (77-81%) was registered with the following variants of the combination ofpairs - AxA, BxB, CxC, the minimum (62%) with heterogeneous selection - CxA,respectively. A similar trend was observed in the population of silver-black foxanimals, the maximum values of consolidation of young by a set of traits wereregistered in animals whose parents, according to the results of the evaluation,were combined in the following variants: AxA, BxB, CxC, the coefficient ofphenotypic consolidation – 72-83%. The minimum values were recorded with aheterogeneous combination of pairs - 62-70%.

Acoustic complexity of pup isolation calls in Mongolian hamsters: 3-frequency phenomena and chaos.

Studying pup isolation calls of wild rodents provides background for developing new early-life animal models for biomedical research and drug testing. This study discovered a highly complex acoustic phenotype of pup isolation calls in 4-5-day-old Mongolian hamsters Allocricetulus curtatus. We analyzed the acoustic structure of 5,010 isolation calls emitted in the broad range of frequencies (sonic, below 20 kHz, and ultrasonic, from 20 to 128 kHz) by 23 pups during 2-min isolation test trials, 1 trial per pup. In addition, we measured 5 body size parameters and the body weight of each pup. The calls could contain up to 3 independent fundamental frequencies in their spectra, the low (f0), the medium (g0), and the high (h0), or purely consisted of chaos in which the fundamental frequency could not be tracked. By presence/absence of the 3 fundamental frequencies or their combinations and chaos, we classified calls into 6 distinctive categories (low-frequency [LF]-f0, LF-chaos, high-frequency [HF]-g0, HF-h0, HF-g0 + h0, and HF-chaos) and estimated the relative abundance of calls in each category. Between categories, we compared acoustic parameters and estimated their relationship with pup body size index. We discuss the results of this study with data on the acoustics of pup isolation calls reported for other species of rodents. We conclude that such high complexity of Mongolian hamster pup isolation calls is unusual for rodents. Decreased acoustic complexity serves as a good indicator of autism spectrum disorders in knockout mouse models, which makes knockout hamster models prospective new wild animal model of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Relationships of Radiation Dose Indices with Body Size Indices in Adult Body Computed Tomography.

We investigated the relationships between radiation dose indices and body size indices in adult body computed tomography (CT). A total of 3200 CT scans of the thoracic, abdominal, abdominopelvic, or thoraco-abdominopelvic regions performed using one of four CT scanners were analyzed. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) were compared with various body size indices derived from CT images (water-equivalent diameter, WED; effective diameter, ED) and physical measurements (weight, weight/height, body mass index, and body surface area). CTDIvol showed excellent positive linear correlations with WED and ED. CTDIvol also showed high linear correlations with physical measurement-based indices, whereas the correlation coefficients were lower than for WED and ED. Among the physical measurement-based indices, weight/height showed the strongest correlations, followed by weight. Compared to CTDIvol, the correlation coefficients with DLP tended to be lower for WED, ED, and weight/height and higher for weight. The standard CTDIvol values at 60 kg and dose increase ratios with increasing weight, estimated using the regression equations, differed among scanners. Radiation dose indices closely correlated with body size indices such as WED, ED, weight/height, and weight. The relationships between dose and body size differed among scanners, indicating the significance of dose management considering body size.

DEVELOPING MEAT PRODUCTIVITY IN BULL CALVES OF DIFFERENT DGAT1 GENOTYPES

The given research aims to study the way meat productivity in special-purpose beef bull calves of different DGAT1 genotypes is developed. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that an assessment of the meat productivity of Hereford and Limousin bulls of different DGAT1 genotypes was conducted for the first time. Calves were cultivated using elements of resource-saving technology. The research subject was Hereford male young stock (91 heads) and Limousin bull calves (109 heads), which were genotyped by SNP DGAT1-K232A. Live weight, average daily gains, and body size and conformation indices were analyzed. Hematological values and carcass quality of bull calves of different genotypes were studied. As a result of genotyping, young animals of both breeds had a similar distribution of genotypes (DGAT1KK&gt;DGAT1KA&gt;DGAT1AA) and alleles (DGAT1K&gt;DGAT1A). There was no effect of the studied gene polymorphism on growth, body development, and hematological parameters, as bull calves of different DGAT1 genotypes did not show a significant difference between weight and linear growth, blood morphological parameters, the content of protein, and its fractions. SNP DGAT1-K232A was found to affect fat deposition. Thus, carcasses of both studied breeds of DGAT1K genotype had a significantly higher content of internal raw fat, and fat yield was (P&lt;0.05) than carcasses of DGAT1AA genotype bull calves. Therefore, genotyping by SNP DGAT1-K232A can be used in the selection of special-purpose beef cattle as an additional criterion to produce meat of a higher energy value.