ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1001-7319
Current Organisations
University of Adelaide
,
University of Lodz
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Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-07-2018
DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2018.1511829
Abstract: Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been recognised as a detrimental factor associated with adverse perinatal outcomes however, to date there is a dearth of information on how it affects post-natal head growth and shape. To assess the relationship between parental smoking exposure during pregnancy and head dimensions and shape at age 7-10 years in boys and girls. Body height and head length, breadth and circumference were measured. Birth weight and gestational age were obtained from the children's medical record books. Parental smoking habits during pregnancy and maternal educational attainment were obtained by a questionnaire. The relationship between exposure to parental smoking during pregnancy and head dimensions was evaluated using analysis of covariance implemented in the Generalized Linear Model, separately for each sex. Maternal and parental smoking during pregnancy significantly altered head shape in boys by affecting head length, while neither head breadth nor circumference were affected. This phenomenon was not observed in girls. Smoking-induced chronic hypoxic effects on the growing foetus, indicated that both active and passive smoking during pregnancy seems to have persistent negative effects on children, going beyond foetal development and pre-natal growth restrictions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Publisher: S. Karger AG
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1159/000242413
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the dental caries rates in the skeletal human population who lived in north-central Poland in modern times (16th-18th century). The material consisted of 297 skeletons (4,783 permanent teeth) from the archeological site of K. Compared material was coming from two different sites located in the same region: early mediaeval Kolonia--39 skeletons and Swiety Duch (dating to the same historical period as K population)--417 skeletons. All three series are part of the osteological collection of the Department of Anthropology. For each skeletal s le, caries rates were calculated by in idual (frequency index) and by tooth count (intensity index). Dental caries was scored also according to a procedure in which the initiation sites are recorded. The highest frequency of dental caries was observed in Swiety Duch (70%) and the lowest in the early mediaeval s le (almost 59%). The intensity of caries fluctuated from above 8% observed in Kolonia to 22% observed in the s le from Swiety Duch. However, in all three s les the caries initiation site was most often noticed on fissure and pits (type 1) the K population was characterised by a different caries pattern (chi2=17.88, p<0.05 when compared with that of Kolonia chi2=218.73, p<0.01 when compared with that of Swiety Duch), which could be the effect of diet (high frequency of CEJ caries probably means starch-rich plant food diet), oral hygiene, fluoride level, economic status or genetic factors (resistance/sensitivity to cariogenic bacteria).
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 12-2013
DOI: 10.1127/0003-5548/2013/0383
Abstract: Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of paired body structures is considered to be a reliable measurement of developmental instability of humans. The aim of the study is to examine whether the mother's traumatic experience during pregnancy results in an increase of the level of fluctuating asymmetry of the structures of the face. Average relative FA of six cephalometric traits was calculated in 269 boys aged 7-10 years from Lodz, Poland. The influence of experienced trauma during pregnancy on the level of the FA was assessed by multiple regression analysis allowing for others stressors during mothers' pregnancy. In order to assess which trimester of pregnancy of the experience of the trauma had an influence on the FA level, analysis of variance was used. RESULTS Boys whose mothers had experienced a traumatic incident during pregnancy were characterized by a significantly higher level of facial asymmetry at the age of 7-10 years (t = 2.74 p = 0.007). The experience of trauma by a pregnant woman was only one factor among other stressors, which significantly rose the FA level of the child's face (Beta = 0.182 t = 2.94 p = 0.004). The time of the experience of the trauma--the first, the second or the third trimester of pregnancy--had not any effect on the FA level. The experience of trauma during pregnancy can result in visible disturbances of development of offspring. A decreased level of cortisol is associated with psychosomatic disorders and may also be potentially responsible for disorders of homeostasis in the process of formation of such morphological structures of the face.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-01-2017
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.22967
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the potential association between month of birth and body height among women in northern and southern hemispheres. Body heights of adult women of European origin born between 1935 and 1981 who lived in Poland (N = 3,933) and in Australia (N = 1,118) were examined in relation to month of birth by analysis of variance. No association between month of birth and body height was observed in either Polish or Australian women. For Polish women, a clear, statistically significant secular trend in body height was confirmed for the analyzed period (P < .0001). No such trend occurred among the Australian women. Results do not confirm a significant association between month of birth and adult body height in women. It is, however, important to see a difference in secular trends, which was large in Polish women and nonexistent in Australian females.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-02-2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-10-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-33067-W
Abstract: Ancient DNA genome-wide analyses of Neolithic in iduals from central and southern Europe indicate an overall population turnover pattern in which migrating farmers from Anatolia and the Near East largely replaced autochthonous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. However, the genetic history of the Neolithic transition in areas lying north of the European Neolithic core region involved different levels of admixture with hunter-gatherers. Here we analyse genome-wide data of 17 in iduals spanning from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (4300-1900 BCE) in order to assess the Neolithic transition in north-central Poland, and the local impacts of hunter-farmer contacts and Late Neolithic steppe migrations. We evaluate the influence of these on local populations and assess if and how they change through time, reporting evidence of recurrent hunter-farmer admixture over three millennia, and the co-existence of unadmixed hunter-gatherers as late as 4300 BCE. During the Late Neolithic we report the appearance of steppe ancestry, but on a lesser scale than previously described for other central European regions, with evidence of stronger affinities to hunter-gatherers than to steppe pastoralists. These results help understand the Neolithic palaeogenomics of another central European area, Kuyavia, and highlight the complexity of population interactions during those times.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.AANAT.2015.02.006
Abstract: The neonatal line is usually the first accentuated incremental line visible on the enamel. The prenatal environment significantly contributes to the width of the neonatal line, influencing the pace of reaching post-delivery homeostasis by the newborn's organism. Studies of the enamel of the earliest developing deciduous teeth can provide an insight into the prenatal development and the perinatal conditions of children of past human populations, thus being an additional source contributing to consideration of the influence of prenatal and perinatal factors modifying growth processes. The aim of this study was to examine whether the neonatal line, reflecting the conditions of the prenatal and perinatal environment, differed between the Neolithic, the mediaeval and the modern populations from the Kujawy region in north-central Poland. The material consisted of longitudinally ground sections of 57 human deciduous incisors obtained from children aged 1.0-7.5 years representing three archaeological series from Brześć Kujawski site. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-linqual plane using a diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). Final specimens were observed with the microscope Delta Optical Evolution 300 at 10× and 40× magnifications. For each tooth, linear measurements of the neonatal line width were performed on its labial surface at the three levels from the cemento-enamel junction. No significant difference was found in the mean neonatal line width depending on the tooth type and archaeological site, although the thickest neonatal line characterised children from the Neolithic series. In all analysed series, the neonatal line width was ersified depending on the child's age at death. The value of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient calculated for the correlation between the child's age at death and the neonatal line width was statistically significant. A clear increase in the width of the neonatal line was thus observed along with a decrease in the child's age at death.
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 06-10-2023
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 22-09-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2016.06.002
Abstract: One of the most severe detrimental environmental factors acting during pregnancy is foetal smoke exposure. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of maternal, paternal and parental smoking during pregnancy on relative leg length in 7- to 10-year-old children. The research conducted in the years 2001-2002 included 978 term-born children, 348 boys and 630 girls, at the age of 7-10 years. Information concerning the birth weight of a child was obtained from the health records of the women. Information about the mother's and the father's smoking habits during pregnancy and about the mothers' education level was obtained from a questionnaire. The influence of parental smoking on relative leg length, controlled for age, sex, birth weight and the mother's education, as a proxy measure of socioeconomic status, and controlled for an interaction between sex and birth weight, was assessed by an analysis of covariance, where relative leg length was the dependent variable, smoking and sex were the independent variables, and birth weight as well as the mother's education were the covariates. Three separate analyses were run for the three models of smoking habits during pregnancy: the mother's smoking, the father's smoking and both parents' smoking. Only both parents' smoking showed a significant effect on relative leg length of offspring. It is probable that foetal hypoxia caused by carbon monoxide contained in smoke decelerated the growth of the long bones of foetuses.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-06-2015
DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2015.1006140
Abstract: The emergence of deciduous teeth, despite being genetically determined, shows significant correlation with the pre-natal environment, maternal factors, method of infant feeding and also family socioeconomic status. However, reported results are often contradictory and rarely concern healthy, full-term children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of pre-natal and maternal factors as well as the method of infant feeding on the timing of first deciduous tooth emergence in healthy, full-term infants and to examine the relationship between the psychomotor development rate and the age at first tooth. The database contained 480 records for healthy, term-born children (272 boys and 208 girls born at 37-42 weeks of gestation) aged 9-54 months. Multiple regression analysis and multi-factor analysis of variance were used to identify significant explanatory variables for the age at first tooth. The onset of deciduous tooth emergence is negatively correlated with birth weight and maternal smoking during pregnancy and positively correlated with breastfeeding and the age at which the child begins to sit up unaided. These factors have an additive effect on the age at first tooth. An earlier onset of tooth emergence in children exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy seems to provide further evidence for disturbed foetal development in a smoke-induced hypoxic environment.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-01-2012
DOI: 10.2478/V10044-012-0001-7
Abstract: The effects of psychological stress, gender and age on hair and skin pigmentation levels were evaluated in the reported study. The material included Polish high-school and university students aged 18–22 (in the age range 17.50–22.49). All subjects who had sunbathed or used tanning beds or l s, skin tanning agents, tanning extenders and/or medical agents affecting skin pigmentation during the 60 days preceding the beginning of the study were excluded. The use of hormonal contraceptives within a month prior to the study was also an excluding factor. Stress levels were evaluated by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS–10) in the Polish adaptation, while hair and skin pigmentation levels were assessed with a dermaspectrometer (Cortex Technology®, Denmark, 2007). The study was carried out with the exclusion of the summer period. Skin pigmentation was evaluated in 395 subjects (264 women and 131 men). Hair pigmentation was analyzed in a smaller group of 351 subjects (223 women and 128 men), as some had had their hair dyed within 12 months prior to the study while in some others the hair was too short to be correctly measured. Regardless of their age, the studied women felt much more stress related to their life situation and were characterized by stronger skin pigmentation than the examined men. No sex differences were identified with regard to hair pigmentation. In the studied period of ontogenesis (18–22 years of age), hair pigmentation levels increased with age, while skin melanization remained stable. Disregarding the effects of age and sex, the level of perceived stress was negatively correlated with skin pigmentation levels no such relationship was found for hair melanization.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 29-06-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FNINS.2023.1191091
Abstract: Prenatal period is the key time in human development. Many prenatal factors are well-known and increase the risk of developing diseases’ after birth. Few studies indicated the link between the prenatal period and the prevalence of migraine in childhood and adolescence so far. We decided to broaden current knowledge and investigate whether the prenatal factors influence the prevalence of migraine in adulthood. The objective of this study is to provide evidence of relationship between in utero environment and risk of migraine. In total 266 females (136 in the migraine group, 130 in the control group) and 80 males (35 in the migraine group, 45 in the control group), aged 18–65 participated in the study. The quality of prenatal environment was characterized on the basis of mother’s and father’s education, tobacco smoke exposure, alcohol consumption, and traumatic event during pregnancy, which are considered as prenatal factors and affect on fetal development. Migraine occurrence in adulthood was significantly associated with maternal tobacco smoking during pregnancy (OR 3.42, 95% CI 1.54–7.61, p = 0.036) and traumatic event during pregnancy (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.24–4.13, p = 0.020). Our study suggests that the fetal programming effect of tobacco smoking exposure and maternal trauma is not limited to prenatal life and is suggested as having a role in adulthood. Our findings support evidence that migraine adulthood can be partly influenced by early life conditions.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 06-2018
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-01-2010
DOI: 10.2478/V10044-010-0001-4
Abstract: This paper compares the dimensions and non-metric dental traits between Down syndrome patients (DS) and a control group. A total of 1,210 teeth of subjects with Down syndrome (diagnosed as regular trisomy 21 type) were analyzed. The mesiodistal (MD) and labiolingual or buccolingual (BL) diameters of each dental crown were measured, and the selected non-metric dental traits evaluated. The teeth of male and female DS patients were found to have lower values of both measurements compared to controls (excepting for the mesiodistal diameter of the lower mandibular premolar both in males and females). Sexual dimorphism of dental crown dimensions characteristic of contemporary human populations (the highest M-F difference was lower than 6%) was also observed: boys' teeth, particularly canines, are bigger than girls' (2.33 on average). Disorders in maxillary tooth alignment and the faint shoveling of upper central incisors (grade 1 according to ASU scale) were noted significantly more often among Down syndrome patients, but descriptive features correlating with dental crown size were observed more rarely (e.g., the distal accessory ridge on the upper canine and tuberculum Carabelli on the first molar).
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-03-2019
Abstract: Tooth size, being the effect of interaction of genetic and prenatal factors, could be of importance in interpreting the multifactor causes of cleft lip alate. Publications indicating decreased tooth parameters, no dental differences, or larger dimensions of teeth in cleft lip alate patients. Researchers report mostly mesiodistal (MD) measurements of maxillary (affected) teeth. There is a lack of data for buccolingual (BL) diameters. Both MD and BL parameters have influence on the planning and performance of orthodontic treatment. The aim of this paper was to assess differences in mesiodistal and buccolingual tooth dimensions in Polish children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in comparison to patients without oral clefts. A total of 1883 permanent teeth, 1182 teeth of UCLP patients and 701 teeth of healthy participants were analyzed. Tooth diameters were performed using an orthodontic cast of dentition with a digital odontometer. The greatest anomalies were found in both maxillary canines and consisted of their reduced mesiodistal dimension and increased buccolingual dimension, resulting in a pathologically high crown shape index (BL/MD). Conclusion can be drawn that unilateral cleft lip and palate is a condition that causes morphological disturbances of varying severity in most mandibular and maxillary teeth both on the cleft and non-cleft sides.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 24-03-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.24.23287682
Abstract: Numerous studies of child growth conducted in industrialised countries showed presence of the phenomenon of the adolescent growth spurt to the extent that its presence became a dogma applied to humans as a species. However, earliest observations of growth at adolescence and also observations of adolescent growth conducted in small traditional societies do not show pubertal spurts consistently. Longitudinal observations of growth of in iduals in present-day societies show strong polymorphism of the age at which puberty starts and ends and the magnitude of growth acceleration during puberty. Some normally developing in iduals may not experience the pubertal growth spurt. Longitudinal height growth data of 110 girls aged 6-18 years from homogenous socio-economic situation – one medical high school (=nursing college) in one large Polish city of Lodz. 18 (16%) girls did not show statistically significant acceleration of body height growth while they reached the same adult height as their spurting peers. Girls who experienced growth spurt had the age at peak height velocity of 11.2 years and peak height velocity of 69.3 mm, comparable to those found in many other studies. There was a negative correlation of adult height with variation of in idual accelerations (r-0.24, p=0.01) – girls whose accelerations differed less from year to year achieved greater adult heights. Findings of no pubertal spurts in some in iduals have been made in other s les studied by other authors, though rarely reported. It can be argued that slow growth at adolescence was more favourable in conditions of limited access to nutrition and medical care while polymorphisms determining fast, uneven growth became more prevalent after industrialisation that, together with progress in health sciences, relaxed natural selection on patterns of growth. In iduals who do not experience pubertal growth spurts, but are otherwise healthy, should not be subject to clinical interventions. Pubertal growth spurt in body height is considered a typical feature of postnatal development. There is a large polymorphism of the age at which the spurt occurs and of its intensity. In iduals who do not experience the spurt, but are otherwise healthy, may be subject to uncesessary clinical interventions. Among 110 female students of an urban secondary nursing college studied longitudinally from 6 to 16 years, 16% did not experience acceleration of growth at puberty. Similar findings were reported in the literature from some non-Westernised communities and from European 19 th century populations.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-12-2013
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-08-2022
Abstract: Background: The length of the second and fourth finger calculated as a ratio (2D:4D) is a marker of prenatal exposure to sex hormones. Higher exposure to testosterone is related to a lower 2D:4D digit ratio, and inversely, higher exposure to estrogen is related to a higher 2D:4D. The digit ratio in humans (prenatally determined by sex hormone levels and androgen receptor activity) is associated with multiple biological, cognitive, and behavioral traits, as well as health in later life. The aim of this study was to verify if maternal traits during pregnancy are associated with 2D:4D among their children. Methods: We investigated 537 boys, 646 girls, and their mothers. The investigation consisted of a questionnaire and a measurement part. In the questionnaire, we included questions about maternal traits during pregnancy such as: illnesses, active and passive smoking, work activity, psychological trauma (death or serious illness of a loved one, orce, job loss), and age. We performed length measurements of the second and fourth fingers on both hands for both study groups. Results: The GLM analysis showed that children of smoking mothers were characterized by a higher 2D:4D R as compared to their peers whose mothers did not smoke (β = 0.10, p = 0.0008). In turn, the offspring of women who worked during pregnancy exhibited lower 2D:4D R values than the children of women who did not work (β = −0.07, p = 0.0233). It should be noted, however, that the effects of those maternal factors were small, as each of them explained less than 1% of 2D:4D R in the population, adjusted for child age and sex. Pearson’s linear correlation revealed that maternal age was negatively correlated with 2D:4D R in daughters (r = −0.11, p = 0.0137), but not in sons (r = 0.02, p = 0.6908). The negative correlation of 2D:4D R with maternal age indicates that the daughters of older mothers exhibited lower values of that ratio relative to the same-age daughters of younger mothers. Conclusions: For both study groups, the right-hand digit ratio was positively correlated with maternal smoking and negatively with maternal work during pregnancy. Maternal age during pregnancy was negatively related to right hand 2D:4D only among girls.
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 15-07-2014
Abstract: The subject of analysis is the male skeleton from a double burial of the Globular Amphora Culture, derived from the Neolithic site at Brześć Kujawski in Kujawy region (central Poland). Within the spine of the in idual advanced lesions are observed (destruction of the vertebral bodies, symptoms of the periostitis in the thoracic region) which are characteristic of skeletal tuberculosis. To check whether the observed morphological changes resulted from infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the bone material was tested positively for the presence of mycolic acids, the specific components of the cell wall of pathogenic M.tb bacilli, by mass spectrometry.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-08-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12887-021-02837-3
Abstract: Cortisol is a steroid hormone acting as a stress hormone, which is crucial in regulating homeostasis. Previous studies have linked cortisol concentration to body mass and body composition. The investigations were carried out in 2016–2017. A total of 176 children aged 6–13 years in primary schools in central Poland were investigated. Three types of measurements were performed: anthropometric (body weight and height, waist and hip circumferences), body composition (fat mass FM (%), muscle mass – MM (%), body cellular mass - BCM (%), total body water - TBW (%)), and cortisol concentration using saliva of the investigated in iduals. Information about standard of living, type of feeding after birth, parental education and maternal trauma during pregnancy was obtained with questionnaires. The results of regression models after removing the environmental factors (parental education, standard of living, type of feeding after birth, and maternal trauma during pregnancy) indicate a statistically significant association between the cortisol concentration and fat mass and muscle mass. The cortisol concentration was negatively associated with FM (%) (Beta=-0.171 p = 0.026), explaining 2.32 % of the fat mass variability and positively associated with MM (%) (Beta = 0.192 p = 0.012) explaining 3.09 % of the muscle mass variability. Cortisol concentration affects fat and muscle mass among Polish children. The Ethical Commission at the University of Lodz (nr 19/KBBN-UŁ/II/2016).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAD.2015.10.022
Abstract: Light skin pigmentation is a known risk factor for skin cancer. Skin color parameters and Fitzpatrick phototypes were evaluated in terms of their usefulness in predicting the risk of skin cancer. A case-control study involved 133 in iduals with skin cancer (100 with basal cell carcinoma, 21 with squamous cell carcinoma, 12 with melanoma) and 156 healthy in iduals. All of them had skin phototype determined and spectrophotometric skin color measurements were done on the inner surfaces of their arms and on the buttock. Using those data, prediction models were built and subjected to 17-fold stratified cross-validation. A model, based on skin phototypes, was characterized by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.576 and exhibited a lower predictive power than the models, which were mostly based on spectrophotometric variables describing pigmentation levels. The best predictors of skin cancer were R coordinate of RGB color space (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.687) and melanin index (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.683) for skin on the buttock. A small number of patients were studied. Models were not externally validated. Skin color parameters are more accurate predictors of skin cancer occurrence than skin phototypes. Spectrophotometry is a quick, easy, and affordable method offering relatively good predictive power.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-10-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S10194-021-01326-3
Abstract: Migraine is a common neurological disease with extremely debilitating, but fully reversible symptoms. Women suffer from migraine more often than men. It was assumed that fluctuation of oestrogen level during menstrual cycle is one of many factors responsible for more frequent migraine attacks. The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is considered as an indicator of prenatal sex steroids. Balance of prenatal androgens (testosterone) and oestrogen has been studied in numerous diseases that are affected by hormones. However, the relationship between migraine and the sex steroids balance in prenatal development is still unexplained. The aim of this paper is to provide an evidence of relationship between prenatal oestrogen and testosterone exposure following 2D:4D digit ratio, and migraine prevalence in adults. We examined a group of 151 adults (33 males, 118 females) with migraine and a control group of 111 adults (45 males, 66 females). 2D:4D digit ratio of both hands was measured using sliding Vernier calliper. Significant differences were found in the right hand. Female migraineurs had lower value of 2D:4D ratio than the control group and the right 2D:4D was lower than left 2D:4D (Δ2D:4D), suggesting prenatal testosterone dominance. The opposite relationship was observed in males. Male migraineurs had higher value of 2D:4D ratio and Δ2D:4D was greater than the control group, suggesting prenatal oestrogen dominance. Our results suggest that depending on sex, different proportion of prenatal sex steroids might be a risk factor of migraine in adults. Women with migraine were presumably exposed in prenatal life to higher testosterone levels relative to oestrogen, while men with migraine were probably exposed in prenatal life to higher levels of oestrogen relative to testosterone.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-09-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-021-98436-4
Abstract: The association between second to fourth finger ratio and thyroid diseases is unexplained. There is a possible interaction between prenatal exposition to sex hormone and thyroid functions in the adulthood. The study included 175 adults investigated in Łódź in the central Poland. It consisted of two main parts: a survey including questions about occurrence of thyroid gland dysfunction and anthropometric measurements (body mass and height and length of the second and fourth finger, waist and hip circumferences). The women who had thyroid disease had higher 2D:4D digit ratio (left hand) (mean = 1.004 SD = 0.036) than healthy ones (mean = 0.989 SD = 0.030) (t = − 2105 p = 0.038 d = 0.707). The association between thyroid diseases occurrence and prenatal steroid hormone exposition is noticed. Only females who had thyroid diseases tend to have higher 2D:4D digit ratio, for left hand.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-07-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-020-69642-3
Abstract: Dental enamel is a structure that is formed as a result of the regular functioning of ameloblasts. The knowledge of the patterns of enamel secretion allows an analysis of their disruptions manifested in pronounced additional accentuated lines. These lines represent a physiological response to stress experienced during enamel development. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of accentuated lines in the tooth enamel of autistic boys. The width of the neonatal line and the periodicity of the striae of Retzius were also assessed. The study material consisted of longitudinal ground sections of 56 primary teeth (incisors and molars): 22 teeth from autistic children and 34 teeth from the control group. The Mann–Whitney U test indicates that the accentuated lines were found significantly more often in autistic children (Z = 3.03 p = 0.002). No differentiation in the rate of enamel formation and in the rate of regaining homeostasis after childbirth were found. The obtained results may indicate a higher sensitivity of autistic children to stress factors, manifested in more frequent disturbances in the functioning of ameloblasts or may be a reflection of differences in the occurrence of stress factors in the first years of life in both analyzed groups.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-07-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S10508-012-9989-4
Abstract: The objective of the study was to evaluate the metric features of pelvises of 24 female-to-male (FtM) transsexuals as compared to control groups of 24 healthy males and 24 healthy females. The participants had their pelvises X-rayed with the same X-ray apparatus and in the same position. Seventeen measurements were taken on the basis of X-ray pictures of FtM transsexuals' pelvises and both comparison groups. Additionally, their body height was compared. The results showed that FtM transsexuals having female body height represent an intermediate size of three pelvic features and male values of five variables. In order to develop a model based on metric variables of the pelvis that would best discriminate the FtM transsexuals, the control females, and the control males, a discriminant analysis was applied. The model included four variables out of 17 metric features: the height of the pubic symphysis, the greatest pelvic breadth, the interischial distance, and the acetabular diameter. The model was found to be the best in discriminating males from females and FtM transsexuals, but considerably less effective in discriminating transsexuals from the two control groups. The results demonstrate that a number of FtM transsexuals' pelvic measurements reveal "masculinization," which confirms current results demonstrating a shift in the somatometric traits of transsexual females towards male traits. A discriminant analysis based only on pelvic metric features shows some differences between the size of the pelvis and chromosomal sex in FtM transsexuals, which might indicate a biological basis for gender identity disorder.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2015.12.002
Abstract: The objective of the present work is to identify the set of prenatal and familial factors that contribute to dental caries of first permanent molars in preschool and young schoolchildren, which will make it possible to determine a high-risk group that should be considered for special preventive measures. This study contributes to the evidence for the multifactorial nature of dental caries. Material was collected during a 2009-2010 study conducted in randomly selected schools and kindergartens in the city of Łódź (Poland). Only children with first permanent molars present were considered for the analysis, which limited the database to 1131 children. Dental examinations were accompanied by a questionnaire completed by the parents, covering items pertaining to prenatal and familial determinants. The present study shows that there are significant differences in the prevalence of caries in first molars between children of different ages (5-13 lat) and that no such differences exist between boys and girls. The prenatal and familial factors conducive to caries include maternal education level (OR=0.55), mode of delivery (OR=0.63) and birth order (OR=0.63). Mothers' smoking habit is also associated with increased caries prevalence in children. Caries prevention should already begin during the prenatal period primarily in respect of mothers with lower educational attainment who are pregnant with a second or subsequent child.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-02-2009
DOI: 10.1007/S10508-008-9315-3
Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the odontometric characteristics of female-to-male transsexuals (FtM) in comparison to control groups of males and females. A total of 48 FtM, aged 20-28 years, were studied. For each tooth, two standard measurements were taken: the mesiodistal (MD) and the buccolingual (BL) diameter of the crown. Significant differences between males and females were found in BL measures of all maxillary teeth as well as mandibular lateral incisor and canine. Within the MD measures, the most distinguishing were maxillary and mandibular canines and the first molars. For seven teeth, there were a total of 14 comparisons of MD (half for the maxilla and half for the mandible) between the control men and women. Of these, the men had larger diameters for 12, of which four were statistically significant. There were also a total of 14 comparisons of BL diameter of these, the men had larger diameters for 13, of which nine were statistically significant. For seven teeth, there were a total of 14 comparisons of MD between the control men and the FtM. Of these, the men had larger diameters for 12, of which seven were statistically significant. There were also 14 comparisons of BL of these, the men had larger diameters for 10, of which six were statistically significant. For seven teeth, there were a total of 14 comparisons of MD between the control women and the FtM. Of these, the women had larger diameters for nine, of which three were statistically significant. There were also a total of 14 comparisons of BL of these, the FtM had larger diameters for 13, of which five were statistically significant. Our study revealed that the shift of values of metric features in teeth of FtM towards males was more frequent in the more sexually dimorphic BL diameters characterized by significantly greater width of the crown of five teeth: maxillary canine, first and second molars, as well as mandibular incisors. The results showed intermediate status of female-to-male transsexuals' teeth between the males and females, which may suggest a genetic basis of transsexualism.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2011.03.002
Abstract: According to the Trivers-Willard hypothesis the secondary sex ratio (SSR, the ratio of male to female newborns [M/F]) should be positively related to the parents' living conditions. This also means that if in some population parents experience environmental (e.g. economic) stress, the SSR should be relatively low. If this holds true, the fluctuations in the SSR of offspring could be one of the ways the human population reacts to environmental (and also socio-economic) changes. Although confirmed for many human populations, such a relationship was not observed in the populations living in the communist-era planned-economy countries until recently. We test the hypothesis that economic stress in Poland after the communist era is also related to the SSR decrease. Using quarterly data from the years 1995-2007 about the total number of live male (M) and female (F) newborns born in central Poland (s le size=310,532), we calculated the time series of the SSR. The quarterly economic conditions of the studied population within the period under consideration constituted the time series of the percentage change in private consumption at constant prices of the year 2000. The relationship between the SSR and the economic conditions in the analyzed 47 quarters of the year was tested with the use of the ARMA models. We have found that four quarters (one year) after the occurrence of economic stress there was a decline in the SSR. This result is consistent with the Trivers-Willard hypothesis at the population level in a modern free-trade economy of a post-communist country.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-02-2020
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.23397
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2017.02.002
Abstract: Twenty-two variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms - SNPs) of the genes involved in hair pigmentation (OCA2, HERC2, MC1R, SLC24A5, SLC45A2, TPCN2, TYR, TYRP1) were genotyped in a group of 186 Polish participants, representing a range of hair colours (45 red, 64 blond, 77 dark). A genotype-phenotype association analysis was performed. Using z-statistics we identified three variants highly associated with different hair colour categories (rs12913832:A>G in HERC2, rs1805007:T>C and rs1805008:C>T in MC1R). Two variants: rs1800401:C>T in OCA2 and rs16891982:C>G in SLC45A2 showed a high probability of a relation with hair colour, although that probability did not exceed the threshold of statistical significance after applying the Bonferroni correction. We created and validated mathematical logistic regression models in order to test the usefulness of the sets of polymorphisms for hair colour prediction in the Polish population. We subjected four models to stratified cross-validation. The first model consisted of three polymorphisms that proved to be important in the associative analysis. The second model included, apart from the mentioned polymorphisms, additionally rs16891982:C>G in SLC45A. The third model included, apart from the variants relevant in the associating analysis, rs1800401:C>T in OCA. The fourth model consisted of the set of polymorphisms from the first model supplemented with rs16891982:C>G in SLC45A and rs1800401:C>T in OCA. The validation of our models has shown that the inclusion of rs16891982:C>G in SLC45A and rs1800401:C>T in OCA increases the prediction of red hair in comparison with the algorithm including only rs12913832:A>G in HERC2, rs1805007:T>C and rs1805008:C>T in MC1R. The model consisting of all the five above-mentioned genetic variants has shown good prediction accuracies, expressed by the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics: 0.84 for the red-haired, 0.82 for the dark-haired and 0.71 for the blond-haired. A genotype-phenotype association analysis brought results similar to those in other studies and confirmed the role of rs16891982:C>G, rs12913832:A>G, rs1805007:T>C and rs1805008:C>T in hair colour determination in the Polish population. Our study demonstrated for the first time the possibility of a share of the rs1800401:C>T SNP in the OCA2 gene in hair colour determination. Including this single nucleotide polymorphism in the actual hair colour predicting models would improve their predictive accuracy.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2013.03.003
Abstract: The paper analyzes data concerning the constitutive skin and hair pigmentation of 7-10-year-old Polish children to examine whether the hormonal activity of the gonads, which increases in this period, causes changes in pigmentation levels that may be considered an early sign of puberty. The study involved 289 children (151 girls and 138 boys). Skin pigmentation was examined on the medial side of the arm, while hair pigmentation on strands of hair close to the scalp in the occipital area. Additionally, body height (B-v) was measured and compared with population norms. On this basis, it was ascertained that the studied s le was representative of the population from which it was taken and that it represented the prepubertal and early pubertal stages of ontogeny (prior to the pubertal growth spurt or the first menstruation in the studied girls). It was found that in 7-10-year-old Polish children there is a statistically significant (p=0.001) increase in skin and hair pigmentation levels, while the degree of pigmentation of both structures at this stage of ontogeny is sexually dimorphic: girls are characterized by stronger pigmentation than boys. At the age of 10 years, the dimorphic differences in skin pigmentation intensify due to a rapid rise in pigmentation in girls. This change may be deemed an early morphological sign of puberty, as it precedes the pubertal growth spurt and menarche. This fast increase in skin pigmentation is not paralleled by an analogous change in hair pigmentation.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1127/0003-5548/2012/0235
Abstract: The purpose of the present study was an assessment of differences between boys and girls in the process of emergence of primary teeth. This paper also provides updated data on the timing and sequence of primary tooth emergence in Polish children. The research were conducted in the years 2004-2008, and covered 865 children (437 boys and 428 girls) aged 3 to 36 months from all nursery and randomly selected "Healthy Child Clinics" in Lodz (central Poland). The first and last primary tooth emerged, on average: in boys at 6.24 months and 24.75 months respectively in girls at 7.07 months and 24.21 months respectively. All incisors and the first upper molars erupted significantly earlier in boys. Typical order of teeth emergence--central incisor, lateral incisor, first molar, canine, second molar--was observed in 86.36% of boys and in 89.47% of girls. The interdependence between the morphological and the dental criterion of biological maturity during the completion of primary teeth was very strong in both sexes (stronger in boys). The regression equations for the estimation of the number of erupted primary teeth based on child's chronological age, body height and body mass were proposed separately for boys and for girls.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-07-2018
DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2018.1511829
Abstract: Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been recognised as a detrimental factor associated with adverse perinatal outcomes however, to date there is a dearth of information on how it affects post-natal head growth and shape. To assess the relationship between parental smoking exposure during pregnancy and head dimensions and shape at age 7-10 years in boys and girls. Body height and head length, breadth and circumference were measured. Birth weight and gestational age were obtained from the children's medical record books. Parental smoking habits during pregnancy and maternal educational attainment were obtained by a questionnaire. The relationship between exposure to parental smoking during pregnancy and head dimensions was evaluated using analysis of covariance implemented in the Generalized Linear Model, separately for each sex. Maternal and parental smoking during pregnancy significantly altered head shape in boys by affecting head length, while neither head breadth nor circumference were affected. This phenomenon was not observed in girls. Smoking-induced chronic hypoxic effects on the growing foetus, indicated that both active and passive smoking during pregnancy seems to have persistent negative effects on children, going beyond foetal development and pre-natal growth restrictions.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-02-2015
DOI: 10.1002/AJPA.22731
Abstract: Physiological disruptions resulting from an impoverished environment during the first years of life are of key importance for the health and biological status of in iduals and populations. Studies of growth processes in archaeological populations point to the fact that the main causes of childhood mortality in the past are to be sought among extrinsic factors. Based on this assumption, one would expect random mortality of children, with the deceased in iduals representing the entire subadult population. The purpose of this study is to explore whether differences in early childhood survival are reflected in differences in deciduous tooth enamel, which can provide an insight into the development of an in idual during prenatal and perinatal ontogeny. Deciduous incisors were taken from 83 in iduals aged 2.0-6.5 years from a medieval inhumation cemetery dated AD 1300-1600. Prenatal and postnatal enamel formation time, neonatal line width, and the number of accentuated lines were measured using an optical microscope. The significantly wider neonatal line and the higher frequency of accentuated lines in the enamel of the incisors of children who died at the age of 2-3 years suggest the occurrence of stronger or more frequent stress events in this group. These results indicate that in skeletal populations mortality was not exclusively determined by random external factors. In iduals predisposed by an unfavorable course of prenatal and perinatal growth were more likely to die in early childhood.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 10-05-2022
Abstract: Populations with a relatively low concentration of melanin, e.g., inhabitants of Europe, North America, and Australia, are the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of UV radiation. In iduals with fair phototype are at greatest risk of developing skin cancer. Several neurological studies present that light skin may modify the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. However, the relationship between migraine and skin pigmentation has not been investigated yet. The objective of this study is to provide evidence of the relationship between skin pigmentation and migraine prevalence in adults. We examined a group of 148 adults (33 men, 115 women) with migraine and a control group of 107 adults (43 men, 64 women). Parameters of skin pigmentation (melanin index, erythema index, CIElab, and RGB scales) were measured using a DSM II Cortex Technology dermospectrophotometer. Risk of migraine in lightly pigmented adults was elevated. In iduals with a low melanin index had over 3-fold increased risk of migraine (women: OR 3.53, men: OR 3.73). Fair phototype, which results from lightly pigmented skin, was associated with migraine prevalence. Migraineurs should take extra care to protect their skin from the negative effects of solar radiation.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 29-11-2019
Abstract: Breastfeeding in the first year of life is an important factor that may modify the child's later development.The aim of this study was to examine the association between the duration of breastfeeding and the time of achieving motor development of Polish children taking into account their familial background. The study material comprised 460 in iduals including 252 boys and 208 girls aged 9 to 56 months who were born at term (37-42 weeks) selected in years 1993-1997. The investigated dependent variables were: first attempts of sitting, standing and walking (months). The independent variables were ided into: explanatory variable - the duration of breastfeeding, and other covariates - birth weight, the paternal and maternal age at the time of childbirth, maternal tobacco smoking during and after pregnancy as well as the parental level of education. The results of regression models after removing the prenatal and familial factors did not indicate a significant relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and sitting up (F = 0.03,
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.ARCHORALBIO.2013.03.004
Abstract: Development of human tooth enamel is a part of a foetus's development its correctness is the outcome of genetic and maternal factors shaping its prenatal environment. Many authors reported that in iduals born in different seasons experience different early developmental conditions during pregnancy. In this study, we investigated the effects of season of birth and selected maternal factors on enamel thickness of deciduous incisors. Dental s le comprises 60 deciduous incisors. The parents who handed over their children's teeth for research fill in questionnaires containing questions about the course of pregnancy. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-linqual plane using diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). The final specimens were observed by way of scanning electron microscopy at magnifications 80× and 320×. The thickness of total enamel (TE), prenatally (PE) and postnatally (PSE) formed enamel was measured. Children born in summer and in spring (whose first and second foetal life fall on autumn and winter) have the thinnest enamel. Season of birth, number of children in family, diseases and spasmolytic medicines using by mother during pregnancy explained almost 13% of the variability of TE. Regression analysis proved a significant influence of the season of birth and selected maternal factors on the PE thickness - these factors explained over 17% of its variability. Neither of analysed variables had influenced PSE. Our findings suggests that the thickness of enamel of deciduous incisors depends on the season of birth and some maternal factors. The differences were observed only in the prenatally formed enamel.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2014.11.001
Abstract: The neonatal line (NNL) is used to distinguish developmental events observed in enamel which occurred before and after birth. However, there are few studies reporting relationship between the characteristics of the NNL and factors affecting prenatal conditions. The aim of the study was to determine prenatal factors that may influence the NNL thickness in human deciduous teeth. The material consisted of longitudinal ground sections of 60 modern human deciduous incisors obtained from full-term healthy children with reported birth histories and prenatal factors. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-lingual plane using diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). Final specimens were observed using scanning electron microscopy at magnifications 320×. For each tooth, linear measurements of the NNL thickness were taken on its labial surface at the three levels from the cemento-enamel junction. The difference in the neonatal line thickness between tooth types and between males and females was statistically significant. A multiple regression analyses confirmed influence of two variables on the NNL thickness standardised on tooth type and the children's sex (z-score values). These variables are the taking of an antispasmodic medicine by the mother during pregnancy and the season of the child's birth. These two variables together explain nearly 17% of the variability of the NNL. Children of mothers taking a spasmolytic medicine during pregnancy were characterised by a thinner NNL compared with children whose mothers did not take such medication. Children born in summer and spring had a thinner NNL than children born in winter. These results indicate that the prenatal environment significantly contributes to the thickness of the NNL influencing the pace of reaching the post-delivery homeostasis by the newborn's organism.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.EARLHUMDEV.2019.04.013
Abstract: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor associated with intrauterine growth retardation and postnatal complications. To assess the relationship between prenatal exposure to smoking on hand grip strength in children 7-10 years of age. Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was used to assess the relationship between grip strength and smoking status of parents, controlling for social status, birth outcome and body size. Height, weight and hand grip strength were measured by trained staff. Smoking status of both parents during pregnancy, mother's level of education and birth outcome were reported by questionnaire. 734 records (297 boys, 437 girls) of healthy children aged 7-10 years from a survey conducted in 2001-2003 in randomly selected primary schools of Łódź. Boys exposed to both maternal and paternal smoking during prenatal life showed lower muscular strength at 7-10 years, but a similar relationship was not observed in girls. Intrauterine hypoxia due to maternal smoking during pregnancy and subsequent postnatal exposure to maternal and paternal smoking may have attenuated the formation and subsequent development of muscle fibres in boys.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-03-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-021-86521-7
Abstract: Associations between body characteristics (body composition: fat mass, muscle mass, cell, and water mass as well as body proportion—BMI), the 2D:4D digit ratio, and the concentrations of cortisol and vitamin (25-OH)D among Polish children have not been studied before. A total of 133 (73 girls and 60 boys) healthy Polish children aged 7–11 years were examined. The investigation was ided into three parts: measuring (the length of the second and fourth fingers in both hands, body composition, and body height and mass), questionnaires (socioeconomic status), and laboratory investigations (25-OH vitamin D and cortisol concentrations in saliva measured with ELISA methods). Boys with digit ratios below 1 had lower vitamin D concentration than those with digit ratios equal to or higher than 1 (Z = − 2.33 p = 0.019). Only boys with the male-typical pattern of 2D:4D digit ratio tended to have a lower 25-OH vitamin D concentration in saliva. Thus, it might indicate an effect of prenatal programming on the concentrations of steroid hormones in later life. Neither vitamin D, 2D:4D digit ratio nor the cortisol level was associated with the body components or proportions. More studies are needed to evaluate the molecular and genetic background of this phenomenon.
Publisher: Termedia Sp. z.o.o.
Date: 24-06-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-01-2023
DOI: 10.1002/AJPA.24685
Abstract: Skin color is a classic ex le of a visible human trait that varies widely among and between human populations it has evolved finely balancing photoprotection and 25(OH)D (vitamin D) synthesis as opposing selection forces. While the health effects of vitamin D deficiency in Northern European populations are profound, we are yet to accurately characterize the evolutionary relationship between vitamin D requirements and skin color ersity. This study explored this relation among a cohort of 170 children from central Poland considering season of measurement and socioeconomic status (SES). Alongside completed questionnaires, saliva was collected and the level of 25(OH)D was assessed using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kit furthermore, a Dermaspectrometer was used to measure skin color by recording the Melanin Index (MI). First, 25(OH)D concentration or skin color variation are not significantly different between boys and girls second, 25(OH)D concentration is lower in late autumn than in spring, while skin color (MI) is darker in autumn crucially, we found significant association between MI and 25(OH)D concentration: higher MI is significantly associated with lower 25(OH)D levels only in boys measured in autumn, and not in spring. These results shed light on the factors affecting 25(OH)D concentration and MI variation in a cohort of Polish children: they offer an evolutionary perspective on the potential role of vitamin D as a driver of skin color ersity while informing a key public health debate.
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 16-03-2017
Abstract: Dental caries and childhood obesity are major problems affecting the health of children and preventing these conditions in children have been recognized as public health priorities (Hong et al. 2008 Odgien et al. 2010). The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between age-specific body mass index (BMI-for age) and dental caries in 3- to 7-year-olds. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 729 children from randomly chosen kindergartens and elementary schools in the urban area of Lodz, Poland. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the BMI-for-age was calculated for each child. Dental examinations were performed according to the WHO criteria. The sum of decayed, missing, filled primary/ permanent teeth and surfaces - dmft/DMFT and dmft/DMFTS, and caries prevalence were computed. The percentage distribution of the BMI categories in the study group was: 72.7% normal weight, 8.92% underweight, 12.89% overweight and 5.49% obese. Caries prevalence in the primary dentition was significantly lower in underweight children than in those who were of normal weight (p=0.004) or were overweight (p=0.039). However, controlling for age and gender, no significant association was noted between BMI and caries prevalence in either dentition group. The Kruskal-Wallis test failed to reveal any significant differences in mean dmft across the four BMI groups in the whole population, nor within particular age groups, nor in DMFT in 5- to 7-year-olds. There was no association between BMI and dental caries either in the primary dentition or permanent teeth in the early period after eruption.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-05-2022
DOI: 10.3390/JCM11112969
Abstract: Keratinocyte carcinomas are the most common cancers with different etiological risk factors. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of spectrophotometric parameters of skin color in correlation with environmental/behavioral factors to estimate the risk of skin cancer. The case–control study involved 389 patients. The analysis was performed on the training group to build a predictive model and on the testing group to check the quality of the designed model. Area under the curve based on the spectrophotometric skin parameters varied from 0.536 to 0.674. A statistically significant improvement of the area under curve was achieved by adding the number of sunburns for some models. The best single spectrophotometric measurement for estimating skin cancer is the skin melanin index measured on the arm or buttock. Spectrophotometric skin parameters are not very strong but are essential elements of models for estimating the risk of skin cancer. The most important environmental/behavioral factor seems to be the number of sunburns, but not the total exposure to ultraviolet radiation or usage of photoprotectors. Some other pigmentation predictors should be taken into account when creating new models, especially those that can be easily measured in objective and repeatable way. Spectrophotometric measurements can be employed as quick screening skin examination method.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 28-09-2021
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-12-2007
DOI: 10.2478/V10044-008-0005-5
Abstract: The ratio of male to female births described as the male proportion is expected to be about 1.06. The secondary sex ratio can be influenced by various stresses experienced by parents (e.g., parents' exposure to chemical and physical pollution, natural phenomena, wars and economic crises). The seminal study in this field speculated that fewer goods and services than needed or desired might sufficiently stress human populations to lower the secondary sex ratio. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between economic stress and the fluctuations of sex ratio at birth in Poland. The statistical analysis was based on annual demographic data obtained from year-books issued by the Central Statistical Office on the overall number of male and female live births in Poland in the years 1956-2005 as well as on the annual data of percentage change in total private consumption. In order to verify the hypothesis that the observed time-series of the secondary sex ratio in Poland declines with deterioration in economic conditions, we constructed mathematical models (ARIMA) of both analyzed phenomena following the statistical procedure proposed by Catalano and Bruckner [2005]. We found a statistically significant decline of SSR in Poland over the last 50 years. The decrease appeared to be stronger in villages than in towns. However, the consumption rate as related to the strength of economic stress had no effect on the fluctuation of the sex ratio at birth.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.EARLHUMDEV.2018.08.001
Abstract: The 2D:4D digit ratio is formed as a result of genetic factors but also prenatal exposure to sex hormones. The higher index value the higher concentration of the prenatal oestrogen. It is commonly known that testosterone is a hormone connected with muscle mass growth and that oestrogen affects adipogenesis. The aim of this study was to find if the digit ratio can be an informative indicator of the fat mass and muscle mass and body proportions in prepubertal children. Material and methods The analysed cohort included 420 children (221 girls and 199 boys) aged 6-13 years. Pearson's and Spearman's tests were conducted to assess whether 2D:4D was significantly correlated with the body composition measurements. Multiple regression models and stepwise forward regression were applied to select the most important independent variables affecting fat mass (%) and muscle mass (%) as well as the BMI and the WHR. Results The study shows that the digit ratio is negatively correlated with muscle mass (MM%) among girls (p < 0.05).There was no similar relationship in the group of boys. The regression models showed a significant role in determining the body composition and body proportions played by maternal factors such as: maternal level of education and weight gain during pregnancy. Conclusions The 2D:4D digit ratio seems to be an informative indicator of the muscle mass development since girls' early childhood. Moreover, maternal environment is also important in forming the offspring's body composition and proportions.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 08-11-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-06-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0269420
Abstract: Child growth in populations is commonly characterised by cross-sectional surveys. These require data collection from large s les of in iduals across age ranges spanning 1–20 years. Such surveys are expensive and impossible in restrictive situations, such as, e.g. the COVID pandemic or limited size of isolated communities. A method allowing description of child growth based on small s les is needed. Small s les of data (N~50) for boys and girls 6–20 years old from different socio-economic situations in Africa and Europe were randomly extracted from surveys of thousands of children. Data included arm circumference, hip width, grip strength, height and weight. Polynomial regressions of these measurements on age were explored. Polynomial curves based on small s les correlated well (r = 0.97 to 1.00) with results of surveys of thousands of children from same communities and correctly reflected sexual dimorphism and socio-economic differences. Fitting of curvilinear regressions to small data s les allows expeditious assessment of child growth in a number of characteristics when situations change rapidly, resources are limited and access to children is restricted.
Publisher: Schweizerbart
Date: 11-2016
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-06-2013
DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2013.806589
Abstract: An increased prevalence of body mass deficit among children has been reported in developing countries, including Eastern European states which have undergone political transformation. However, there are few studies evaluating risk factors for body mass deficit in schoolchildren and adolescents. To assess selected familial, pre-natal and early life factors in terms of risk associated with the prevalence of body mass deficit in children aged 7-10 years. Logistic regression models based on 812 records for children aged 7-10 years were applied for the evaluation of familial, pre-natal and perinatal risk factors affecting the height-to-weight ratio. The risk of underweight in 7-10-year-old children is significantly higher for girls (OR = 1.70) and for children whose mothers reported a traumatic experience during pregnancy (OR = 2.77). The effect of reported stress during pregnancy differed as regards the child's sex. Mother's trauma increased the risk of body weight deficit only in boys (OR = 2.74), while in girls it significantly decreased this risk (OR = 0.35). Low birth weight significantly increased the risk of underweight only in boys (OR = 2.99) and mother's occupational activity decreased the risk of underweight only in girls (OR = 0.57). Low birth weight and mother's trauma during pregnancy are risk factors for underweight in Polish schoolchildren, particularly in boys.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-05-2018
DOI: 10.1002/OA.2675
Publisher: Uniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz)
Date: 30-07-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1002/OA.744
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCHB.2008.04.004
Abstract: The subject of this work is the characterisation of the metric features of deciduous dentition in a Medieval population of central Poland with the use of the jackknife technique leave one out (LOO)-supporting multivariate methods, which are important for deriving discrimination equations that would result in sex determination of children's skeletal remains. The sex of the in iduals was assessed through analysis of sex-specific DNA sequences (AMELY/AMELX, SRY and alpha satellite sequences). Discriminant analysis concerned only teeth of those in iduals whose sex was confirmed by the primary structure of three DNA sequences. The deciduous tooth diameters of males were found to be significantly larger than those of females in four respects: MD diameter of the maxillary second molar, MD and BL diameters of the mandibular first molar and BL diameter of the mandibular second molar. A two-group discriminant analysis considered all those measurements as independent variables. A multiple regression procedure produced a linear equation predicting the sex of children's skeletons with a significant probability amounting to approximately 78%. The accuracy of the sex assessment of an in idual, using dental measurements, was established at 69% in deciduous male and 88% in deciduous female teeth.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-10-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0258179
Abstract: The aim of this paper was to provide evidence for the impact of prenatal sex steroid exposure on prenatal and postnatal body size parameters, and muscle strength in children. The following anthropometric data were studied in a group of 1148 children (536 boys and 612 girls) aged 6–13 years: the 2D:4D digit ratio, birth weight and length, and birth head and chest circumference. Postnatal parameters (6–13 years) included body weight and height, BMI, waist and hip circumference, WHR, as well as grip strength in both hands. All parameters that required it were adjusted for sex and gestational or chronological age. A general linear model, Pearson’s correlation, t -statistics and Cohen’s Δ were used in statistical analysis. Among birth size parameters, only birth weight was significantly negatively correlated with the 2D:4D digit ratio in children. Higher (feminized) digit ratios were significantly correlated with postnatal parameters such as body weight, BMI, and waist and hip circumference (positively), as well as hand grip strength–a proxy for muscular strength (negatively). Problems with maintaining adequate body size parameters and muscle strength may be programmed in fetal life and predicted on the basis of the 2D:4D digit ratio. Body weight at birth and in early ontogenesis are additive correlates of the 2D:4D ratio. The present findings suggest that the 2D:4D digit ratio is related to postnatal phenotypes such as birth weight, overweight, and obesity as well as muscle strength in 6–13-year-old children of both sexes.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.FSIGEN.2018.06.007
Abstract: Predictive DNA analysis of externally visible characteristics exerts an increasing influence on contemporary forensic and anthropological investigations, with pigmentation traits currently being the most advanced for predictive modelling. Since pigmentation prediction error in some cases may be due to the result of age-related hair colour darkening, and sex influence in eye colour, this study aims to investigate these less explored phenomena on a group of juvenile in iduals. Pigmentation phenotypes of children between the age of 6-13 years old were evaluated, in addition to data about their hair colour during early childhood from a select number of these in iduals. The HIrisPlex models for DNA-based eye and hair colour prediction were used with input from SNP genotyping using massive parallel sequencing. Analysis of the total group of 476 children showed high accuracy in blue (AUC = 0.89) and brown (AUC = 0.91) eye colour prediction, while hair colour was predicted with AUC = 0.64 for blond, AUC = 0.64 for brown and AUC = 0.97 for red. 70.8% (n = 143) of the total number of children phenotypically blond for hair colour during early childhood progressed to brown during advanced childhood. In 70.6% (n = 101) of those cases, an incorrect blond hair prediction was made during the time of analysis. A noticeable decline in AUC values for blond (from 0.76 to 0.65) and brown (from 0.72 to 0.64) were observed when comparing hair colour prediction outcomes for the phenotypes recorded for the two different time points (at the age of 2-3 and 6-13). The number of incorrect blond hair colour predictions was significantly higher in children with brown hair at age 6-13 who were blond at early childhood (n = 47, 32.9%), relative to children who had brown hair at both time points (n = 6, 9.4%). However, in 28.0% (n = 40) of children who did experience hair colour darkening, HIrisPlex provided the correct prediction for the darkened hair colour phenotype, despite them being blond in early childhood. Our study implies that HIrisPlex can correctly predict adult hair colour in some in iduals who experience age-related hair colour darkening during adolescence. However, in most instances prediction seems to default to the pre-adolescent hair colour for in iduals with this phenomenon. In the future, the full adolescent age range in which hair colour darkening can occur should be considered in the study s les used for training hair colour prediction models to obtain a more complete picture of the phenomenon and its impact on DNA-based hair colour prediction in adults.
No related grants have been discovered for Elżbieta Żądzińska.