Decrease In Girls Research Articles

Favorable Impacts of Growth Hormone (GH) Replacement Therapy on Atherogenic Risks in Japanese Children with GH Deficiency

Growth hormone (GH) affects body composition and atherogenic risk factors. Severe hyperlipidemia may develop in GH-deficient adults as a consequence of continuous GH deficiency. We investigated changes in lipid profiles in 158 Japanese children (103 boys and 55 girls) with GH deficiency who had been enrolled in the Pfizer International Growth Database Japan during 3 yr of GH replacement therapy to evaluate whether GH treatment has beneficial effects on atherogenic risk factors. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) and atherogenic index were evaluated before treatment and then once a year during treatment. The mean baseline TC was within the normal range in both boys and girls. Seventeen (16.5%) of the 103 boys and 18 (32.7%) of the 55 girls, however, had a TC level over 200 mg/dl before treatment. The mean TC level showed a significant decrease in girls. In a separate analysis, patients of both sexes with a TC level > 200 mg/dl showed significantly decreased TC. LDLC decreased significantly only in girls, while HDLC showed no change in either sex. The atherogenic index decreased significantly in girls. GH replacement therapy in children with GH deficiency had beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and atherogenic risk in both sexes. Early GH treatment would produce lipid metabolism benefits in these patients.

Maternal Cadmium Exposure during Pregnancy and Size at Birth: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is an embryotoxic and teratogenic metal in a variety of animal species, but data from humans are limited.Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of maternal Cd exposure in pregnancy on size at birth.Methods: This prospective cohort study was nested in a population-based nutritional supplementation trial in pregnancy conducted in rural Bangladesh. We selected women recruited from February 2002 through January 2003 who had a singleton birth with measurements of size at birth and had donated a urine sample in early pregnancy for Cd analyses (n = 1,616). Urinary Cd was measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and adjusted for specific gravity.Results: Multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for sex and other potential confounders showed that maternal urinary Cd (median, 0.63 μg/L) was significantly negatively associated with birth weight [unstandardized regression coefficient B = –31.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): –59, –2.8] and head circumference (B = –0.15; 95% CI: –0.27, –0.026). However, associations appeared to be limited to girls, with little evidence of effects in boys. A 1-μg/L increase in Cd in maternal urine was associated with a 0.26-cm (95% CI: –0.43, –0.088 cm) and 0.24-cm (95% CI: –0.44, –0.030 cm) decrease in girls’ head and chest circumferences, respectively, and a 45-g (95% CI: –82.5, 7.3 g) decrease in birth weight. Quantile regression analyses indicated that associations with maternal Cd were similar for girls of smaller (25th percentile) and larger (50th and 75th percentiles) sizes at birth.Conclusion: We found evidence of a sex difference in the association between maternal Cd exposure and birth size, which was apparent only in girls. Results add support for the need to reduce Cd pollution to improve public health.

Tracking of Overweight and Obesity in Greek Youth

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and tracking of overweight and obesity in a representative sample of Greek youth and the relation with child and parental factors. Methods: Data were derived from 2 follow-ups of the Greek 1983 National Perinatal Survey by means of a questionnaire completed by parents in 1990 and parents/adolescents in 2001. Parent- and self-reported height and weight measurements were available for 7,219 participants aged 7, and 2,842 participants aged 18. Results: The overall overweight/obesity prevalence was 24.3% at age 7, and 15.1% at age 18. The overweight prevalence increased from childhood to adolescence in boys (16.1 to 19.1%) and decreased in girls (19.2 to 8.0%), while the obesity prevalence showed a decrease in both boys (6.2 to 3.6%) and girls (5.8 to 1.0%). Overall, tracking of weight status was 73.7%. More boys (49.2%) remained overweight/obese than girls (24.7%). At age 7, overweight/ obesity was positively associated with male gender, paternal education, and urban residence. Overweight/obesity also correlated with male gender at age 18, and with parental weight status. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight among Greek youth is high and showed an increase from childhood to adolescence in boys, and a decrease in girls.

The CDC and IOTF cut points show inconsistent prevalence of underweight and overweight in Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese children

No nationally representative data from middle and low income countries have been analyzed to compare prevalence of underweight and overweight defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity TaskForce (IOTF) BMI cut points. We evaluated the consistency in nutrition status classifications derived from the CDC and IOTF cut points, using data from 1600 Chinese, 11756 Indonesian, and 53826 Vietnamese children aged 2‐18 y, who participated in recent, representative surveys in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. A smaller difference between prevalence and a higher Kappa statistic indicated a higher consistency level between the CDC and IOTF classification systems. The prevalence of underweight defined by the IOTF was higher compared to those defined by the CDC cut points (absolute differences were 6, 10, and 13% in Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese boys; 10, 13, and 19% in girls). Kappa statistic values were largest in Chinese boys (0.81‐0.88) compared to those in Indonesian (0.74‐0.82) and Vietnamese (0.69‐0.79) boys. Smaller Kappa statistics were found in girls from China (0.65‐0.80), Indonesia (0.63‐0.76), and Vietnam (0.55‐0.68). With an increase in age, Kappa statistics tended to increase in boys and decrease in girls. The differential findings from the CDC and IOTF cut points suggest that a validation of the cut points by using disease risk or body fat outcomes is needed. Supported by the Vietnam Educational Foundation (VEF) and USDA.

Family resources, sitting at home and democratic choice: investigating determinants of educational attainment in post-Soviet Tajikistan

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, school enrolment, attendance and attainment rates fell across the region. In Tajikistan, there has been a decrease in average completion rates for basic, secondary and higher education, as well as a growing gender gap because girls are much less likely than boys to finish all levels of schooling. Past work on educational stratification in the region has demonstrated similar trends, but not sought to explain the processes generating these patterns. Scholars of educational participation suggest that a variety of family, community and macro-structural factors influence educational attainment. This paper broadens our understanding of the processes generating the decline in educational attainment and widening gender gap by analysing interviews conducted with parents, teachers and university students living in Tajikistan in 2006–2007. Respondents overwhelmingly attribute the drop in educational rates to increased poverty and its effects on family resources. The large decrease in girls' attainment is rationalized by citing cultural norms dictating that they will only become housewives, ‘sitting at home’, and do not need further education. Others point to changes in educational policy as a reason for lower attainment rates because parents and children are now able to choose whether or not to continue studies in the new democratic society. This article is the winner of the 2008 CESS Award for Best Graduate Paper. This prize is awarded yearly by the Central Eurasian Studies Society to promote new scholarship focusing on the history, politics, culture and societies of Central Eurasia

Longitudinal study of maximal aerobic power in teenagers.

On the basis of measurement of maximal aerobic power (VO2max) over a period of four years in a teenage population of boys (N = 102) and girls (N = 133), we studied the growth of VO2max in absolute values and in relative values: relative to whole body mass (VO2max/BM), to fat-free mass (VO2max/LBM) and to height squared (VO2max/H2). The changes in VO2max were studied in relation to chronological age (CA), skeletal age (SA), and age relative to peak height velocity (PA). Since no significant testing or measuring effects could be demonstrated and the reproducibility was high, the longitudinal design seems adequate to trace individual growth curves of VO2max. With CA VO2max increases in boys from 2.41/min at age 12+ to 3.81/min at age 17+. The increase in girls is less, from 2.31/min to 2.71/min over the same age range. VO2max/BM remained constant in boys (591/min.kg) and in girls it gradually decreased from 50 at age 12+ to 45 ml/min.kg at age 17+. The decrease in girls has been caused partly by an increase in body fat. When VO2max is aligned on PA, the results show that the peak increase coincides roughly with the age at peak height velocity. It demonstrates that in general in boys and girls during their teens no discrepancy between structural and functional growth occurs as far as VO2max is concerned.