孕小鼠注射海洛因对仔鼠体重、行为及肺中相关活性物质表达的影响

为了探讨海洛因对仔鼠行为、体重及肺发育中KGF、c-Fos蛋白和Bax蛋白表达的影响,对4组共48例受孕小鼠(Mus musculus)从第8 d开始,每天早晚分别注射0.2 ml浓度为1.0 g/L、1.5 g/L和2.0 g/L的海洛因溶液和等量的生理盐水直到小鼠分娩,观察测量仔鼠行为及体重变化,采用免疫组织化学染色和体视学半定量方法检测15 d胚胎、出生后1 d.7 d、15 d仔鼠的肺中KGF、c-Fos蛋白和Bax蛋白表达情况.结果表明,海洛因影响仔鼠的行为活动,实验组各发育期仔鼠的体重明显低于对照组,海洛因组各发育期仔鼠肺中KGF、c-Fos蛋白和Bax蛋白的表达强度与对照组相比显著增强(P＜0.01或P＜0.05),且随海洛因浓度的增大表达越强,但随着发育的进行,海洛因组仔鼠肺中KGF、c-Fos蛋白和Bax蛋白的阳性表达减弱.海洛因影响仔鼠的行为与体重,海洛因对各发育期仔鼠肺的损伤可能与肺组织中KGF、c-Fos蛋白和Bax蛋白表达的增强有关.     

鲤鱼年生殖周期斯坦尼氏小体重量和超微结构的变化

对鲤鱼 (Cyprinuscarpio)性腺指数 [GI ,(性腺重 /体重 )× 10 2 ]和斯坦尼氏小体 (corpuscleofStannius ,CS)指数 [CSI ,(CS重 /体重 )× 10 6],以及CS超微结构的变化做了一个年周期的跟踪观察。CSI与GI呈正相关 ;按囊泡和分泌细胞超微结构的变化 ,CS的生长期、分泌期和萎缩期在年周期中逐步演替。这种演替与光镜观察结果一致 ,提示与鲤鱼的繁殖周期密切相关。     

Bio-cultural effects in medieval populations

Male skeletons from medieval archaeological sites are analysed to assess differences in stature and body proportions related to the bio-cultural environment, such as social, economic, and health factors. Environmental factors, such as climate change in the course of the Middle Ages, did not have statistically significant effect on body proportions in these samples. The results show a relationship between bio-cultural factors and physique in the analysed populations that indicate stunted growth in height and weight in a leprosarium population with a low socio-economic and health status. A high-status monastic population is characterised by a stocky build, i.e., increased weight for height and relatively shorter limbs, while a medieval parish population has a linear build, i.e., relatively long limbs for height and decreased weight for height. These characteristics, relative weight for height and relative limb length, changed during the course of the Middle Ages, as did stature.     

Health‐Related Quality of Life Varies among Obese Subgroups

Objective: To compare the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) of overweight/obese individuals from different subgroups that vary in treatment‐seeking status and treatment intensity. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were from five distinct groups, representing a continuum of treatment intensity: overweight/obese community volunteers who were not enrolled in weight‐loss treatment, clinical trial participants, outpatient weight‐loss program/studies participants, participants in a day treatment program for obesity, and gastric bypass patients. The sample was large (n = 3353), geographically diverse (subjects were from 13 different states in the U.S.), and demographically diverse (age range, 18 to 90 years; at least 14% African Americans; 32.6% men). An obesity‐specific instrument, the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life‐Lite questionnaire, was used to assess health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). Results: Results indicated that obesity‐specific HRQOL was significantly more impaired in the treatment‐seeking groups than in the nontreatment‐seeking group across comparable gender and body mass index (BMI) categories. Within the treatment groups, HRQOL varied by treatment intensity. Gastric bypass patients had the most impairment, followed by day treatment patients, followed by participants in outpatient weight‐loss programs/studies, followed by participants in clinical trials. Obesity‐specific HRQOL was more impaired for those with higher BMIs, whites, and women in certain treatment groups. Discussion: There are differences in HRQOL across subgroups of overweight/obese individuals that vary by treatment‐seeking status, treatment modality, gender, race, and BMI.     

Two Measures of Health-Related Quality of Life in Morbid Obesity

Objective: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures in obese presurgery patients with and without binge-eating disorder (BED) and to investigate the relationship between a generic [short form-36 (SF-36)] and a disease-specific HRQOL measure [Impact of Weight on Quality of Life Questionnaire (IWQOL)] and measures of eating-related and general psychopathology. Research Methods and Procedures: One hundred ten patients ages 19 to 62 years with a mean body mass index of 48.4 ± 8.3 kg/m² who were evaluated for gastric bypass surgery were asked to fill out questionnaires assessing eating-related and general psychopathology (depression, self-esteem), as well as the two HRQOL questionnaires. BED was assessed by self-report. Results: Nineteen (17.3%) patients met criteria for BED. Significant differences between patients with and without BED were found for four of the eight subscales of the SF-36—with effect sizes ranging from 0.44 to 0.75—and for the total score and three of the five subscales of the IWQOL-Lite—with effect sizes from 0.57 to 0.74. The mental composite score of the SF-36 as well as the IWQOL total score correlated significantly with the measures of psychopathology. Discussion: This is the first study comparing the results of HRQOL measures in morbidly obese presurgery patients with and without BED. The results indicate that BED has a profound negative impact on HRQOL that exceeds the influence of obesity. Both HRQOL measures were able to reliably discriminate between patients with and without BED. Depression and self-esteem influenced HRQOL in a similar way as binge eating.     

Time spent exercising and obesity: An application of Lewbel’s instrumental variables method

This paper examines the role physical activity plays in determining body mass using data from the American Time Use Survey. Our work is the first to address the measurement error that arises when time use during a single day—rather than average daily time use over an extended period—is used as an explanatory variable. We show that failing to account for day-to-day variation in activities results in the effects of time use on a typical day being understated. Furthermore, we account for the possibility that physical activity and body mass are jointly determined by implementing Lewbel’s instrumental variables estimator that exploits first-stage heteroskedasticity rather than traditional exclusion restrictions. While averaging 30 min of transportation-related biking or walking per day lowers the BMI of men by 1.5, we find no effect of physically active leisure on the BMI of men in our sample. In contrast, 30 min of per day of either type of physical activity lowers the BMI of women by 1.     

Body mass index and weight gain after middle adulthood are associated with risk of papillary thyroid cancer: A case–control study

BackgroundIt is unclear whether weight change after middle adulthood influences the risk of thyroid cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between the risk of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and body mass index (BMI) and weight change after middle adulthood (age 35).MethodsA matched case–control study based on three hospitals included 516 pairs of cases newly diagnosed with PTC and controls. Current height and weight after defecation in the morning were measured by trained nurses. During measurement, all subjects were requested to wear lightweight clothing and no shoes. Weight at age 35 was self-reported. BMI and weight change were modeled as continuous and categorical variables. Conditional and unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for the association between BMI and weight change after middle adulthood and PTC.ResultsAfter adjustment for covariates, measured BMI at the time of current diagnosis was positively associated with PTC (OR 1.16, 95%CI 1.10–1.21). According to WHO BMI guidelines for Asia-Pacific populations, the OR (95%CI) for PTC risk in obesity was 2.99 (1.92–4.67) compared to normal weight (p-trend <0.001). Moreover, PTC was positively associated with BMI at age 35; the OR (95%CI) for PTC risk per unit increase in BMI was 1.06 (1.02–1.11). Compared to stable weight (changed <0.5 kg/year), weight gain ≥1.0 kg/year after middle adulthood was positively associated with PTC (OR 2.57, 95%CI 1.39–4.76, p-trend <0.001). Compared to maintaining non-overweight status, the PTC risk was significantly increased in those individuals who gained weight and became overweight after middle adulthood (OR 3.82, 95%CI 2.50–5.85).ConclusionThis study showed that high BMI and obesity were positively associated with increased risk of PTC, and weight gain after middle adulthood also could elevate the PTC risk.     

Trickle or clumped infection process? An analysis of aggregation in the weights of the parasitic roundworm of humans, Ascaris lumbricoides

Studying the distribution of parasitic helminth body size across a population of definitive hosts can advance our understanding of parasite population biology. Body size is typically correlated with egg production. Consequently, inequalities in body size have been frequently measured to infer variation in reproductive success (VRS). Body size is also related to parasite age (time since entering the definitive host) and potentially provides valuable information on the mode of acquisition and establishment of immature (larval) parasites within the host: whether parasites tend to establish singly or in aggregates. The mode of acquisition of soil-transmitted helminths has been a theoretical consideration in the parasitological literature but has eluded data-driven investigation. In this paper, we analyse individual Ascaris lumbricoides weight data collected from a cohort of human hosts before and after re-infection following curative treatment, and explore its distribution within and among individuals in the population. Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients indicate that levels of weight inequality (a proxy for VRS) in A. lumbricoides are lower than other published estimates from animal-helminth systems. We explore levels of intra-host weight aggregation using statistical models to estimate the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) while adjusting for covariates using a flexible fractional polynomial transformation approach capable of handling non-linear functional relationships. The estimated ICCs indicate that weights are aggregated within hosts both at equilibrium and after re-infection, suggesting that parasites may establish within the host in clumps. The implications of a clumped infection process are discussed in terms of ascariasis transmission dynamics, control and anthelmintic resistance.     

Effects of shell morphological traits on the weight traits of Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum)

The shell length, height, and width, live body weight, and edible tissue weight of Manila clam of 1, 2, and 3 years of age were measured, and their correlation coefficients were calculated. The shell morphological traits were used as independent variables, and live body weight or edible tissue weigh used as a dependent variable for calculating the path coefficients, correlation index and determination coefficients. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between each shell morphological trait and the live body weight or edible tissue weight were all highly significant (P < 0. 01). The shell height at 1-year old clams was highly correlated with the live body weight and edible tissue weight. The shell width of 2- to 3-year-old clams was strongly associated with the live body weight, while the shell length was closely linked to the edible tissue weight. The results of coefficients of determination for the morphological traits against weight traits agreed well with the results of path analysis. The correlation indices for all morphological traits against weight traits were approximately the same as determination coefficients regardless of clam age. The correlation indices (R²) of morphological traits against the live body weight of clams of all ages and edible tissue weight of 1-year-old clams were larger than 0.85, but R² of morphological traits against the edible tissue weight of 2- and 3-year-old clams was smaller than 0.85, indicating that some other factors might be associated with the edible tissue weight of 2- and 3-year-old clams. Multiple regression equations were obtained to estimate shell length X₁ (cm), shell height X₂ (cm), shell width X₃ (cm) against live body weight Y (g), edible tissue weight Z (g): for 1-year-old clams: Y = ?4.317 + 0.18X₁ + 0.147X₂, (X₁ < 0.01, X₂ < 0.01), Z = ?1.011 + 0.095X₂, (X₂ < 0.01); for 2-year-old clams: Y = ?15.119 + 0.249X₁ + 0.176X₂ + 0.688X₃, (X₁ < 0.01, X₃ < 0.01), Z = ?4.248 + 0.198X₁, (X₁ < 0.05, X₃ < 0.01); and for 3-year-old clams: Y = ?25.013 + 0.415X₁ + 1.184X₃, (X₁ < 0.01, X₃ < 0.01), Z = ?7.082 + 0.119X₁ + 0.332X₃, (X₁ < 0.05, X₃ < 0.01).