Significant Age Group Differences Research Articles

Cochlear nerve diameters on multipoint measurements and effects of aging in normal-hearing children using 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine differences in diameter of cochlear nerves (CN) among three measurement points at the midpoint of the internal auditory canal (IAC), IAC fundus and cochlear aperture, and to evaluate whether nerve size varies with age. MethodsA total of 336 normal-hearing ears of 201 children were assessed, who were underwent 3D-Fiesta sequence scanning of inner ear. All subjects were divided into 12 groups at one year interval. The diameter measurements of CN were obtained in the midpoint of the IAC, IAC fundus and cochlear aperture respectively on the axial and oblique sagittal images of 3.0-T MRI. SPSS 18.0 statistics software was applied for data analysis, and all of the data showed a normal distribution and expressed in x¯±s. ResultsThe diameters of normal-hearing children's CN at the midpoint of the IAC, IAC fundus and cochlear aperture were respectively: 1.12±0.08mm, 1.05±0.06mm, 0.87±0.14mm, and there were significant differences among the three measuring points (F=527.57, p<0.05). The diameters of the CN had no significant difference (p>0.05) in age groups, gender and sides (p>0.05), and there was no correlation between the diameters of normal children's CN and age (r is −0.129, 0.128 and −0.113, respectively). ConclusionThe diameters of normal-hearing children's CN change with different points of the internal auditory canal, of which the maximum value is in the midpoint of the IAC, followed by the IAC fundus, and the cochlear aperture is at the minimum; moreover the normal size doesn’t change with age.

Predictive Factors for Surgical Intervention in Patients over the Age of 80 with Adhensive Small-Bowel Obstruction.

Adhensive small-bowel obstruction (SBO) remains a common cause of admission to surgical wards around the world. Given the growing elderly population, the number of elderly patients with adhensive SBO can be expected to increase substantially. Timely and appropriate treatment would improve morbidity and mortality rates in elderly patients with adhensive SBO. However, accurately determining which patients should undergo surgical treatment during the hospitalization remains difficult. The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors for surgical intervention in patients aged over 80years presenting with SBO due to postoperative adhesions. A clinical and radiological data for the assessment of patients presenting with adhensive SBO were collected. A logistic regression model was applied to identify risk factors that would predict the need of surgical intervention. A total of 21 patients (13 males, 8 females) were treated during a 3.5-year period. The mean age was 85.5 ± 4.7years, ranging from 80 to 97years. There is no significant difference in age (group 1 87.6 ± 5.9years vs. group 2 84.8 ± 4.3years, p = 0.262) between two groups. Serious coexisting diseases were noted in 13 (61.9%, 13/21) patients. Primary hypertension, cardiac diseases, and diabetes mellitus were common coexisting conditions. However, there is no significant difference in comorbidities (40 vs. 68.8%, p = 0.325) between group 1 and group 2. Adhensive SBO was successfully treated with conservative treatment in 16 patients (76.2%, 16/21, group 2), whereas conservative treatment failed in 5 patients (23.8%, 5/21, group 1), who subsequently underwent laparotomy. Postoperative complication rate was 14.3% (wound infection, 1/5) and mortality was 0% (0/5) in group 1. One patient death was recorded in group 2 (1/16, 6.3%). The overall mean hospital stay was 10.0 ± 5.9days (range 3-27days). Group 1 had a longer hospital stay than group 2. However, the difference did not reach the significant level (12.8 ± 8.2 vs. 9.1 ± 5.9days, p = 0.274). On univariate analysis, the need for surgical intervention was significantly associated with granulocyte percentage (2.768, 0.961-7.975, p = 0.059), CT findings of free intraabdominal fluid (28.000, 1.988-394.405, p = 0.014), and level of albumin (0.265, 0.073-0.970, p = 0.045). On multivariate analysis, the predictive factor was free intraabdominal fluid (28.000, 1.988-394.405, p = 0.014). Conservative treatment remains a major consideration in patients over the age of 80. Although major cases of adhensive SBO are successfully treated with conservative methods, some fail to respond, and the independent risk factor for surgical indication is free intraabdominal fluid.

Effects of aging on evoked retrusive tongue actions

ObjectiveTongue strength, timing, and coordination deficits may underlie age-related swallowing function. Retrusive tongue actions are likely important in retrograde bolus transport. However, age-related changes in retrusive tongue muscle contractile properties have not been identified in animal studies. Because previous studies employed whole hypoglossal nerve stimulation that activated both protrusive and retrusive tongue muscles, co-contraction may have masked retrusive muscle force decrements. The hypotheses of this study were: (1) retrusive tongue muscle contraction forces would be diminished and temporal characteristics prolonged in old rats when lateral nerves were selectively activated, and (2) greater muscle contractile forces with selective lateral branch stimulation would be found relative to whole hypoglossal nerve stimulation. DesignNineteen Fischer 344/Brown Norway rats (9 old, 10 young adult) underwent tongue muscle contractile property recording elicited by: (1) bilateral whole hypoglossal nerve stimulation, and (2) selective lateral branch stimulation. Twitch contraction time (CT), half-decay time, maximal twitch and tetanic forces, and a fatigue index were measured. ResultsFor whole nerve stimulation, CT was significantly longer in the old group. No significant age group differences were found with selective lateral nerve stimulation. Significantly reduced twitch forces (old group only), increased tetanic forces and significantly less fatigue were found with selective lateral nerve stimulation than with whole hypoglossal stimulation. ConclusionsRetrusive tongue forces are not impaired in old rats. Deficits observed in swallowing with aging may be due to other factors such as inadequate bolus propulsive forces, mediated by protrusive tongue muscles, or timing/coordination of muscle actions.

외모관심에 따른 SPA브랜드 인지, 구매경험 및 속성에 대한 태도 차이 분석

This study explored the degree of cognition, purchasing experience and attitudes towards SPA brand attributes. This study examined the differences in variables and demographic characteristics against appearance interest groups. A questionnaire survey collected data from November <TEX>$1^{st}$</TEX> and <TEX>$15^{th}$</TEX> 2012. The convenience sample was drawn from females between the ages of 20 and 39 who lived in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions of South Korea. A total of 255 responses were complete and usable questionnaires. Data were tested through factor analysis, t-test, and <TEX>${\chi}^2$</TEX> test using SPSS 21.0. The results show that there were significant group differences in the cognition and purchasing experience of SPA brands and the attitudes towards SPA brand attributes. The high appearance interest group was more aware of SPA brands and evaluated SPA brand attributes more positively and bought more SPA brand products than the low appearance interest group. The high appearance interest group showed that domestic brands were excellent in low price among brand attributes but foreign brands were relatively excellent in various design and store display. There was a significant difference in educational level between appearance interest groups; however, there were no significant differences in age, marital status, and income level group. This study contributes to basic information for the SPA brand buying behavior research field and apparel industry marketing strategy by analyzing the relationship among appearance interest, cognition, SPA brand purchasing experience and SPA brand attribute attitudes.

English

A cross sectional study was conducted in Kombolcha Poultry Farm Enterprise to determine the prevalence, assessment of the risk factors and to identify the pathological abnormalities due to different species of Eimeria in 582 chickens of age 21 to 100 days, kept under deep litter management system from December, 2013 to March, 2014. The study involved fecal examination, post mortem examination, gross lesion examination, mucosal scraping examination and identification of Eimeria species. A statistically significant difference (p=0.000) was noted among the different age groups of grower chickens with the highest prevalence (73.1%) at 91 to 100 days old age group and the lowest (10.3%) in 21 to 30 days old age group. Out of 90 chicken subjected for post mortem examination, 58% (n=52) have showed gross pathological lesions in different parts of intestine. Gross lesions recorded were higher in Kookook breed (62.1%); however, there was no statistically significant difference among breeds. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.011) in different age groups for gross lesion and it was high (71.4%) in 81 to 90 days old chickens and lower (22.2%) in 21 to 30 days old. Five Eimeria spp. were identified with Eimeria brunetti and Eimeria tenella which recorded most frequently prevalence of 17.8 and 12.2%, respectively, as single infections. Finally, it is concluded that the risk factors that are associated with coccidiosis should be taken into account in designing the prevention and control regimen. It was advised to design and implement strategic prophylaxis against coccidiosis than therapeutic approach, and conduct continuous coccidiosis monitoring via regular litter oocyst counts and taking appropriate measures accordingly. Key words: Coccidiosis, Eimeria species, Ethiopia, Kombolcha, poultry, prevalence.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infection Among Inhabitants and Tribes of Chelgerd, Iran, 2008-2009.

Although a notable development in treating and controlling of parasitic infections in recent years has occurred but, these infections are still counted as important problems in many countries. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the inhabitant and tribe populations who were referred to central health care of Chelgerd, Iran. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from April 2008 to October 2009 in Chelgerd, Iran. A total of 655 samples of feces from inhabitants and tribes were collected and each sample was examined by Direct smear, formol- ethyl acetate concentration and Trichorom staining. Out of 655 stool samples, 367(56%) patients revealed at least one intestinal parasite (pathogenic /non-pathogenic protozoa/helminth), 233(67.7%) in tribes and 134(43%) in inhabitants. There was significant difference between infected inhabitants and infected tribes (p=0.001). Although the intestinal parasitic infections were more in female than male it was not statistically significant (p=0.52). There was no significant difference in various age groups. Common intestinal parasitic infections which were detected in both the populations were Giardia intestinalis (28.2%) and Blastocystis hominis (27.5%). We found that the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was higher in the tribe than inhabitant populations. Prevalence of intestinal protozoa infections was much higher than the helminthic infections. These findings reflect poor sanitary conditions in this region. They should be educated and provided better facilities to get rid of intestinal parasitic infections.

Resurrecting Driver Workload Metrics: A Multivariate Approach

This paper presents new, multivariate analyses of data collected during the Driver Workload Metrics (DWM) project. In a cooperative effort with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the DWM project had several goals including the development of performance metrics and test procedures to assess visual, manual, and cognitive aspects of driver workload. Workload was defined as the competition in driver resources (perceptual, cognitive, or physical) between the driving task and a concurrent secondary task, occurring over that task's duration. It was hypothesized that, depending on the type of secondary task performed while driving, measured workload and the correlated quality of driving should either remain the same or decline, but would manifest in degraded measures of lane keeping, longitudinal control, or eye glance behavior. However, the original DWM project had an unrealized goal, i.e. to apply Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) methods, in an attempt to uncover the underlying unobserved structure within the project's relatively large set of variables. It is this hidden multi-dimensional structure that must be examined to empirically comprehend the concept of driver workload. DWM kinematic vehicle data, driving performance, and eye glance data were analyzed using Maximum Likelihood Factor Analysis (MLFA). These analyses found that task-induced workload affected driving performance and was multi-dimensional in nature. Visual-manual tasks exhibited fundamentally different performance profiles than auditory-vocal tasks or just driving. Furthermore, when secondary statistical analyses of the normalized factor scores were done using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) the results found highly statistically significant workload differences in age groups, task type, and at times, gender.

The development and discussion of computerized visual perception assessment tool for Chinese characters structures - Concurrent estimation of the overall ability and the domain ability in item response theory approach.

Visual perception is the fundamental skill required for a child to recognize words, and to read and write. There was no visual perception assessment tool developed for preschool children based on Chinese characters in Taiwan. The purposes were to develop the computerized visual perception assessment tool for Chinese Characters Structures and to explore the psychometrical characteristic of assessment tool. This study adopted purposive sampling. The study evaluated 551 kindergarten-age children (293 boys, 258 girls) ranging from 46 to 81 months of age. The test instrument used in this study consisted of three subtests and 58 items, including tests of basic strokes, single-component characters, and compound characters. Based on the results of model fit analysis, the higher-order item response theory was used to estimate the performance in visual perception, basic strokes, single-component characters, and compound characters simultaneously. Analyses of variance were used to detect significant difference in age groups and gender groups. The difficulty of identifying items in a visual perception test ranged from -2 to 1. The visual perception ability of 4- to 6-year-old children ranged from -1.66 to 2.19. Gender did not have significant effects on performance. However, there were significant differences among the different age groups. The performance of 6-year-olds was better than that of 5-year-olds, which was better than that of 4-year-olds. This study obtained detailed diagnostic scores by using a higher-order item response theory model to understand the visual perception of basic strokes, single-component characters, and compound characters. Further statistical analysis showed that, for basic strokes and compound characters, girls performed better than did boys; there also were differences within each age group. For single-component characters, there was no difference in performance between boys and girls. However, again the performance of 6-year-olds was better than that of 4-year-olds, but there were no statistical differences between the performance of 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds. Results of tests with basic strokes, single-component characters and compound characters tests had good reliability and validity. Therefore, it can be apply to diagnose the problem of visual perception at preschool.

Nutritional Status among Females of Bhaina Tribe of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India: An Anthropological Insight

Problem of malnutrition increases, being one of the significant national issues in a developing country like India. In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the sociodemographic profile and nutritional status among the Bhaina tribes of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. A total of 161 females (2–75 years) were screened for anthropometric measurements. Nutritional status was evaluated in four groups of female categories: preschool: 2–5 years (n=11), children: 6#x2013;12 years (n=28), adolescent: 13–18 years (n=22), and adults &gt;18 years (n=100) using the age specific cutoff points of body mass index (BMI). Statistical analysis was performed using MS EXCEL and SPSS software. More than 30% of the studied population is observed to be illiterate and unemployed. Significant age group difference is observed for anthropometric variables considered in the present study. Overall prevalence of thinness among the studied population was 32.3% (critical). Occurrence of thinness was found to be highest among children (57.1%). Occupation with wage labourer is significantly higher among parents of normal children (26.6%) than parents of undernourished children (19.6%). Findings of the present study suggest significance of anthropological approach in understanding nutritional status among different ethnic groups, specifically tribal community.

Short-latency afferent inhibition is a poor predictor of individual susceptibility to rTMS-induced plasticity in the motor cortex of young and older adults.

Cortical plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity, can be assessed non-invasively with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocols. In this study, we examined age differences in responses to intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) in a group of 20 young and 18 healthy older adults. Because the cholinergic system plays a role in the neural processes underlying learning and memory, including LTP, we also investigated whether short latency afferent inhibition (SAI), a neurophysiological marker of central cholinergic activity, would be associated with age-related differences in LTP-like plasticity induced by iTBS.Methods: SAI was first assessed by examining the modulation of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in response to median nerve conditioning 20 ms prior to TMS. Participants then underwent iTBS (3 pulses at 50 Hz every 200 ms for 2 s with 8 s between trains, repeated 20 times). MEP responses (120% resting motor threshold (RMT)) were assessed immediately after iTBS and 5, 10, and 20 min post-application.Results: Responses to iTBS were quite variable in both age groups, with only approximately 60% of the participants (n = 13 young and 10 older adults) showing the expected facilitation of MEP responses. There were no significant age group differences in MEP facilitation following iTBS. Although older adults exhibited reduced SAI, individual variations were not associated with susceptibility to express LTP-like induced plasticity after iTBS.Conclusion: Overall, these results are consistent with reports of high inter-individual variability in responses to iTBS. Although SAI was reduced in older adults, consistent with a deterioration of the cholinergic system with age, SAI levels were not associated with LTP-like plasticity as assessed with iTBS.

Preliminary Normative Data on the Penn State University Symbol Cancellation Task With Nonconcussed Adolescents

Visual concentration impairment after neurologic injury is frequent, making its identification a critical component of neurocognitive concussion assessment. Visual target cancellation tests such as the Penn State University Symbol Cancellation Task (PSUSCT) have been widely used in assessing professional and collegiate athletes. To date, there are no normative studies using the PSUSCT with an adolescent population. Given that 38 million children and adolescents participate in sports and an estimated 5% to 10% are concussed annually, adolescent normative data are critically needed to evaluate concussions in this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to provide adolescent normative data on the PSUSCT. Participants included 40 healthy, nonconcussed high school students aged 14 to 19 years old (20 men, 20 women). Participants were administered Forms A and C of the PSUSCT within a 4-day period. Data analysis examined hits, omission errors, and commission errors, with descriptive statistics calculated for the total sample and for subgroups by gender and age. Study 1 provided normative adolescent data on Form A. Study 2 examined practice effects and established reliable change indexes (RCIs) by comparing results on Forms A and C. Neither Study 1 nor Study 2 demonstrated significant group differences for gender or age. In conclusion, this study presents adolescent normative data, apparent practice effects, and RCIs on the PSUSCT. These norms provide data needed to appropriately include the PSUSCT in baseline and postinjury concussion evaluation batteries with adolescent student-athletes. Findings should be replicated with a larger, more heterogeneous sample.

Variations in EEG discharges predict ADHD severity within individual Smith-Lemli-Opitz patients.

We sought to examine the prevalence of EEG abnormalities in Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) as well as the relationship between interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) and within-subject variations in attentional symptom severity. In the context of a clinical trial for SLOS, we performed cross-sectional and repeated-measure observational studies of the relationship between EEG findings and cognitive/behavioral factors on 23 children (aged 4-17 years). EEGs were reviewed for clinical abnormalities, including IEDs, by readers blinded to participants' behavioral symptoms. Between-group differences in baseline characteristics of participants with and without IEDs were analyzed. Within-subject analyses examined the association between the presence of IEDs and changes in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Of 85 EEGs, 43 (51%) were abnormal, predominantly because of IEDs. Only one subject had documented clinical seizures. IEDs clustered in 13 subjects (57%), whereas 9 subjects (39%) had EEGs consistently free of IEDs. While there were no significant group differences in sex, age, intellectual disability, language level, or baseline ADHD symptoms, autistic symptoms tended to be more prevalent in the "IED" group (according to Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 criteria). Within individuals, the presence of IEDs on a particular EEG predicted, on average, a 27% increase in ADHD symptom severity. Epileptiform discharges are common in SLOS, despite a relatively low prevalence of epilepsy. Fluctuations in the presence of epileptiform discharges within individual children with a developmental disability syndrome may be associated with fluctuations in ADHD symptomatology, even in the absence of clinical seizures.

Gait neuromechanics in women with and without joint hypermobility

s / Gait & Posture 39S (2014) S1–S141 S7 legs, dependent on affected side, and three trials of participants were considered. Linear MixedModels were used to determine the main effects within retained principal components (PCs). Results: PatientsmeanAntetorsionwas38.6◦(SD6.1◦), basedon CT-scans. There were no significant group differences in sex, age, BMI and walking speed, but patients showed significant less hip external rotation in clinical examination. Group effects based on LinearMixedModels revealed that patientswalkedwith significant more internal foot progression angle (FPA) andmore external ankle rotation (ARA) than controls. There were no alterations observed in knee kinematics. Patients walked with significant more anterior pelvic tilt (SPA) and at hip joint level with more internally rotated (THA) and flexed (SHA) hips. Group effects in kinetics revealed that patients showed a significant lower knee adductionmoment (FKM) andhip adductionmoment (FHM).Differentiation into primary and secondary passive effects was derived from clinical considerations. Discussion and conclusions: Deviations in FPA and THA were stated as primary deviations. Due to the reduced hip external rotation patientswere not able to counterbalance for primary deviations. Passive secondary effects were detected in ARA, SHA, SPA, FKM and FHM. In order to achieve normal gait, patients walked with external ankle rotation, flexed hips and more anterior pelvic tilt. During gait internal hip rotation induced anterior pelvic tilt andmore hip flexion by straining iliofemoral ligaments. Moreover, anterior pelvic tilt may have wide-ranging consequences as it may induce increased lordosis of the lumbar spine and extension of the thoracic spine. Although in the current study FKM mean gait waveform indicated a tendency for an increased knee adduction moment in patients, the application of Linear Mixed Models on PC-scores of retained PCs showed a significant group effect in PC3 (explaining 16.74% of total variance), representing a lower knee adduction moment in patients. In hip the only significant group effect corresponded to a lower hip adduction moment in patients (PC2, explaining 15.32% of total variance), whereas mean gait waveform indicated a higher hip adduction moment. In summary coxa antetorta is not mainly a cosmetic problem in general. Modifications in kinematics and kinetics may cause physical complaints and osteoarthritis in future. Therefore, conducting 3DGA is recommended for individual clinical decision-making and planning surgical corrections in patients with coxa antetorta.

Gait deviations and compensations in adolescents with coxa antetorta

s / Gait & Posture 39S (2014) S1–S141 S7 legs, dependent on affected side, and three trials of participants were considered. Linear MixedModels were used to determine the main effects within retained principal components (PCs). Results: PatientsmeanAntetorsionwas38.6◦(SD6.1◦), basedon CT-scans. There were no significant group differences in sex, age, BMI and walking speed, but patients showed significant less hip external rotation in clinical examination. Group effects based on LinearMixedModels revealed that patientswalkedwith significant more internal foot progression angle (FPA) andmore external ankle rotation (ARA) than controls. There were no alterations observed in knee kinematics. Patients walked with significant more anterior pelvic tilt (SPA) and at hip joint level with more internally rotated (THA) and flexed (SHA) hips. Group effects in kinetics revealed that patients showed a significant lower knee adductionmoment (FKM) andhip adductionmoment (FHM).Differentiation into primary and secondary passive effects was derived from clinical considerations. Discussion and conclusions: Deviations in FPA and THA were stated as primary deviations. Due to the reduced hip external rotation patientswere not able to counterbalance for primary deviations. Passive secondary effects were detected in ARA, SHA, SPA, FKM and FHM. In order to achieve normal gait, patients walked with external ankle rotation, flexed hips and more anterior pelvic tilt. During gait internal hip rotation induced anterior pelvic tilt andmore hip flexion by straining iliofemoral ligaments. Moreover, anterior pelvic tilt may have wide-ranging consequences as it may induce increased lordosis of the lumbar spine and extension of the thoracic spine. Although in the current study FKM mean gait waveform indicated a tendency for an increased knee adduction moment in patients, the application of Linear Mixed Models on PC-scores of retained PCs showed a significant group effect in PC3 (explaining 16.74% of total variance), representing a lower knee adduction moment in patients. In hip the only significant group effect corresponded to a lower hip adduction moment in patients (PC2, explaining 15.32% of total variance), whereas mean gait waveform indicated a higher hip adduction moment. In summary coxa antetorta is not mainly a cosmetic problem in general. Modifications in kinematics and kinetics may cause physical complaints and osteoarthritis in future. Therefore, conducting 3DGA is recommended for individual clinical decision-making and planning surgical corrections in patients with coxa antetorta.

Evaluation of IgG antibodies against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and associated risk factors for severe respiratory tract infections in pre- school children in North-central, Nigeria

Childhood mortality and morbidity due to RSV is increasing. Our current study was aimed at determining the sero-prevalence rate of RSV IgG antibodies and investigates certain known risk factors for RSV disease severity in infants and pre-school children presenting with various forms of respiratory tract infections in Ilorin, Nigeria. About 280, children and 30, aged matched controls were enrolled into the study at the specialist hospital Ilorin. Blood testing for anti RSV IgG was done using a commercial ELISA kit by IVD Research Inc® Carlsbad. California U.S.A. Information regarding Nutritional status, socio-economic status and other demographic variables were collected. A prevalence rate of 85.7% was recorded among tested children and 23.3%, in controls, across age groups and gender. A statistically significant difference in age groups were recorded among patients with LRTI, (p <0.05), age <1 41%, age 1 <5, 27.6%. This was also the case for children with SRTI (Pneumonia and Bronchiolitis), with age < 1yr, 9%, and 1 <5yr, 19.8%. Analysed risk factors for disease severity showed thatnutritional status of children were statistically significant for disease severity, p-value, 0.039 (Chi square test). We report a high level of exposure to RSV in infancy and early childhood among children from a representative population in a major central Nigerian City, further studies into neutralising antibody levels and subtype distribution of RSV are advocated.

The morphology of the thumb carpometacarpal joint does not differ between men and women, but changes with aging and early osteoarthritis

The high prevalence of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis (OA) in women has been previously linked to the articular morphology of the trapezium. Studies report conflicting results on how the articular shapes of male and female trapezia compare to one another, however, mainly because their findings are based on data from older cadaveric specimens. The purpose of this in vivo study was to dissociate the effect of sex from that of aging and early OA by using cohorts of healthy young and healthy older subjects, as well as patients with early stage OA. Computed tomography scans from 68 healthy subjects and 87 arthritic subjects were used to obtain 3-D bone models. The trapezial and metacarpal articular surfaces were manually delineated on scaled bone models and compared between sex, age, and health groups by using polar histograms of curvature and average curvatures. We found no sex-related differences, but significant age-group and health-group differences, in the articular surfaces of both bones. Older healthy subjects had higher curvature in the concave and lower curvature in the convex directions of both the trapezial and metacarpal saddles than healthy young subjects. Subjects with early OA had significantly different metacarpal and trapezial articular shapes from healthy subjects of the same age group. These findings suggest that aging and OA affect the articular shape of the CMC joint, but that, in contrast to previously held beliefs, inherent sex differences are not responsible for the higher incidence of CMC OA in women.

Sexual Dimorphism in Blood Pressure and Hypertension among Adult Parengi Porjas of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

The present study investigated blood pressure levels as well as the prevalence of hypertension among adult Parengi Porja tribals of village Munchingput Mandalam, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. A cross-sectional study was used to collect data on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse rate. A total of 137 adults (100 males and 37 females) were measured and classified into three age groups, that is, Gr-I: 23 to 32 years, Gr-II: 33 to 42 years, and Gr-III: ≥ 43 years. Negative significant sex difference in SBP among age group I (t=-2.409; P&lt;0.05) was observed. Positive significant sex difference in DBP among age group I (t=2.545; P&lt;0.05) was also observed. Significant age group difference was noticed for SBP (F=4.332; P&lt;0.01) among males. Based on SBP, the prevalence of prehypertension and stage I hypertension in males was 25.0% and 5.0%, respectively. Similarly, in females the prevalence of prehypertension and stage I hypertension based on SBP was 32.4% and 5.4%, respectively. On the basis of DBP, the prevalence of stage I hypertension in males was 5.0%. Similarly, in females, the prevalence of stage I hypertension based on DBP was 5.4%. Our results suggest that females of this ethnic group were more prone to have prehypertension and stage I hypertension than males.

Blood Pressure and Hypertension among Adult Savara Tribals of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India: A Public Health Concern

We studied dimorphism in blood pressure levels as well as the prevalence of hypertension among adult Savara tribals of village Munchingput Mandalam, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. A cross-sectional study was used to collect data on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and pulse rate. A total of 148 adults (95 males and 53 females) were measured and classified into three age-groups, i.e., Group I: 23–32 years, Group II: 33–42 years and Group III: >≥43 years. Negative significant sex difference in SBP among age group I (t = –2.409; p < 0.05) were observed. Positive significant sex difference in DBP among age group I (t = 2.545; p < 0.05) were also observed. Significant age group difference was noticed for SBP (F =4.332; p < 0.01) among males. Based on SBP the prevalence of prehypertension and stage I hypertension in males were 2.1% and 1.1%, respectively. Similarly, in females the prevalence of prehypertension and stage I hypertension based on SBP were 5.7% and 9.4%, respectively. On the basis of DBP the prevalence of prehypertension in males was 1.0%. Significant sex difference (x2 = 7.691; p < 0.05) in prevalence of elevated blood pressure was observed. Thus we can conclude that females of this studied ethnic group are more prone to have prehypertension and stage-I hypertension than their male counterparts.

How much one sleeps at night affects napping effects on emotional memory consolidation

Sleep schedule of participants were regulated and varied across experiments, so it remains unclear if nighttime sleep and daytime nap play a different role in memory consolidation thus yielding conflicting results about the effect of sleep on consolidation of emotional memory. This study explored the interactive effect of habitual sleep duration and daytime nap on consolidation. Sixty-three young adults (Mean age = 20.38, SD = 1.39, 63.5%male) were randomly assigned to either the Nap or the Wake group with no significant group differences in age, sex, body mass index, habitual sleep duration and sleep quality. Average baseline sleep duration (SLEEP) was calculated from sleep diaries completed five days before the lab day. Participants were instructed to rate the valence of eyes stimuli adopted from ¡¥¡¥Reading the Mind in the Eyes test. The Nap group then obtained a 90-min polysomnograph-monitored sleep opportunity, when the Wake group remained awake. An incidental recognition test of the stimuli was administered after the Nap/Wake period. Memory discriminability of stimuli of positive, neutral and negative valence, was compared using two-way analysis of variance with CONDITION (Nap&Wake) and SLEEP (<5 h, 5–6.5 h, >6.5–8 h & >8 h) as between-subject factors. For neutral memory, there were significant main effect of CONDITION with the Nap group performing better (p = .009) and main effect of SLEEP (p = .003) with worse performance in those with <5 h sleep. There was significant CONDITION*SLEEP interaction, p = .016. Post-hoc tests indicated that the nap group performed better in the <5 h sleep group (p < .05) but not in the other three groups (ps > .05). For negative memory, a significant main effect of CONDITION was found with better performance in the Nap group (p = .004). No main effect of SLEEP but significant CONDITION*SLEEP interaction was found (p=.045). Post-hoc tests indicated that better performance in the Nap group was found among those with <5 h, 5–6.5 h and >6.5–8 h sleep (ps < .05), but not those with >8 h sleep (ps > .05). For positive memory, no main or interaction effects were found. Our results showed that a nap strengthened memory of neutral valence in only the most sleep-restricted group, but the napping effects on memory of negative valence were present in groups of all sleep duration, except for the most sleep-satiated. This study provided the first evidence on the interaction between habitual sleep duration and a daytime nap on emotional memory. This work was supported by HKU Seed Funding Program for Basic Research.

THE MULTIPLICATIVE NOISE COMPONENTS OF ISOMETRIC FORCE FLUCTUATIONS

The experiment tested the relative contribution of additive and multiplicative noise components in isometric force fluctuations. We implemented the Hilbert–Huang transform to analyze variability in the steady state region of isometric force time series generated by participants in three adult age categories: (1) young (20–24 yrs); (2) old (60–69 yrs); and older-old (75–90 yrs). Each participant generated isometric force output in response to constant target force levels (5–40% maximum voluntary contraction). The empirical mode decomposition component of the Hilbert–Huang transform was applied to each isometric force time series resulting in a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFS). The amplitude modulation envelopes of the IMFS obtained from the modulus of the Hilbert transform were random sequences. These random sequences were the source of the multiplicative noise. Analyses showed significant age group differences in the multiplicative noise structure of the force output. The results provide preliminary evidence that multiplicative noise dominates additive noise in isometric force output and can discriminate among the force fluctuations of healthy adult participants of different ages.