Colonization of the axilla by Propionibacterium avidum in relation to age.

The prevalence of Propionibacterium avidum in the axillae of 248 individuals aged 5 to 18 years was studied. Both caucasoids and negroids, males (132) and females (116), were included. The frequency of recovery of the organism increased with age and was associated with the onset of puberty. The organism was recovered from only 2 of 40 females (5%) aged 5 to 10 years and from 1 of 22 males (4.5%), whereas 45% of females and 58% of males aged 15 to 16 years were colonized. Females tended to become colonized at an earlier age than males did. It appeared that negroids carried the organism more frequently than caucasoids, but the difference in prevalence was not statistically significant in matching age groups. It is suggested that the increase of hydration of the axilla with age and increase in substrate availability play an important part in the colonization process.     

Seroprevalence of Toxocara canis antibodies in humans in northern Jordan.

Sera of 699 individuals, aged between 5-24 years, from the Irbid area, Jordan, were tested for Toxocara canis antibodies using an ELISA-IgG test. Crude prevalence was 10.9% (76 of 699) but age-adjusted prevalence was 14.3%. The highest prevalence was observed in females aged 5-9 years, 23.3% (7 of 30), and males of 15-19 years of age, 19.5% (16 of 82). The lowest prevalence was observed in females aged 20-25 years, 5.2% (8 of 155). Significant differences (P < 0.05) between the prevalences of the toxocaral antibodies in males and females were observed in the age groups 5-9, 15-19 and 20-24 years. The trend of prevalence in relation to age was different according to sex.     

Prevalence of dyslipidemia and mean blood lipid values in Taiwan: results from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT, 1993-1996)

This paper reports the blood lipid status of people aged 4 years and older in Taiwan. The data is based on the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT: 1993-1996), which adopted a multi-stage, stratified clustering sampling scheme. Altogether, 5097 subjects (2451 males and 2646 females) had data on triglyceride and 5643 subjects (2736 males and 2907 females) had data on cholesterol. We found that (a) cholesterol levels of males were lower than females in mid-to old age group (> or = 45 years old); (b) triglyceride values of females were lower than males in young adulthood (19-44 years), but higher than males after the age of 45 years, and (c) adult females had higher HDL-C value and lower ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C than males. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 10.2% in adult males and 12.6% in mid-to-old aged men, and that in females was 11.2% and 24.4%, respectively. The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was 13.4% and 6.1% in adult males and females (> or = 19 years as a whole), respectively. It was 12.3% in mid-to-old aged men (> or = 45 years), and 11.9% in women. The mean cholesterol values were similar to values of several previous surveys in different areas of Taiwan. But it was higher than those in some areas of Mainland China, and lower than those of western countries. People in metropolitan cities had a higher level of blood cholesterol than other areas. The average triglyceride values of males and females were higher than those of previous studies in Taiwan and of people in Mainland China. Mountainous stratum with predominantly aboriginal residents had higher level of triglycerides and body mass index (BMI) than other strata. The associations between dietary intakes of men and women and blood lipids were examined controlling for age and BMI. Result showed that Keys score, which was derived from saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and dietary cholesterol of a 24-hour recall, was positively related to blood cholesterol and LDL-C in men, but not in women. Average alcohol intakes per day were related to HDL-C positively, but LDL-C negatively in men and women. The regional differences in blood lipid profiles in Taiwan are consistent with the dietary and life-style variations island-wide.     

Detection of Mycoplasma fermentans in saliva sampled from infants, preschool and school children, adolescents and adults by a polymerase chain reaction-based assay.

Attempts were made to detect Mycoplasma fermentans in saliva sampled from 201 subjects (108 males and 93 females) aged from 4 months to 59 years by a polymerase chain reaction-based assay. M. fermentans was detected in saliva from 110 (54.7%) of 201 subjects, and 10 (28.6%) of 35 subjects aged from 4 months to 3 years. Of ten positive subjects, three were aged from 16 to 23 months and five were from 26 to 31 months. The incidence tended to increase with age up to the teens. The incidence was significantly greater in teenagers than in subjects aged from 7 to 12 years, but there was no significant difference in the incidence between the group of teenagers and each of the groups of subjects older than the teenagers. Thus, it was suggested that M. fermentans colonized the mouth at the age of about 16 months up to the age of 19 years.     

Prevalence of hepatitis-B surface antigen among blood donors and human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in Jos, Nigeria

Information is very scarce on the prevalence of hepatitis-B virus (HBV) infection among blood donors and patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Nigeria. Hepatitis-B surface antigen (HBsAg) ELISA was used to determined the prevalence of HBsAg among 175 blood donors (aged 20-40 years) and 490 HIV-infected patients (aged 17-60 years) in Jos, Nigeria. Twenty-five (14.3%) of the blood donors and 127 (25.9%) of the HIV-infected individuals were HBsAg seropositive, indicating a higher HBV infection among HIV-infected persons than among healthy blood donors. A slightly higher HBsAg seroprevalence was recorded in the males (14.6%) than females (12.9%) of the blood donors. Among the HIV-infected patients, the males had considerably higher HBsAg seroprevalence than the females (31.8 vs 22.1%) with the highest prevalence of HBsAg occurring in the 51-60 years age group (44%), followed by those of 31-40 years (28.2%). Results confirmed the high endemicity of HBV infection in Jos, Nigeria and the significantly greater prevalence of HBV infection among HIV-infected patients than among blood donors.     

Epidemiology of dermatophytoses in a rural community in Eastern Nigeria and review of literature from Africa

A total of 4,287 primary school children, comprising 1,740 males and 2,547 females in Arochukwu local government area of Abia state Nigeria were examined for clinical signs of dermatophytoses. About 873 (20.4%), consisting of 505 males and 368 females had lesions consistent with dermatophytoses. The disease was more prevalent in males (29%) than females (14.4%) in a ratio of approximately 2:1 (P < 0.05). The infection rate increased from 16.8% in the 4–6 year age group to a peak of 28.1% in the 10–12 year age bracket and dropped sharply to 5.6% in the 16–18 year group. The highest prevalence (39%) was observed among males aged 10–12 years while females 16–18 years had the lowest prevalence (2.5%). Tinea capitis was the predominant clinical type of dermatophytoses, and occurred in 13.7% of the total population studied and 67% of lesion positive cases. Trichophyton soudanense and Trichophyton tonsurans the predominant aetiological agents of dermatophytoses with a prevalence of 26.2% and 21.6%, respectively. Others include Trichophyton mentagrophytes (18.8%), Epidermophyton floccosum (8.3%), Microsporum audouinii (6.4%), Microsporum gypseum (6.0%), Trichophyton rubrum (5.5%) and Microsporum ferrugineum (7.3%), which was isolated for the first time in Nigeria.     

Current profile of Mansonella ozzardi (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) in communities along the Ituxi river, Lábrea municipality, Amazonas, Brazil

The objective of this paper was to describe the current status of Mansonella ozzardi prevalence among the inhabitants of 12 communities along the Ituxi river, in Lábrea municipality, state of Amazonas. The prevalence of M. ozzardi was determined using thick blood smears obtained by digital punctures. M. ozzardi was found in 30.23% of the samples collected (39/129), with similar prevalence between genders (males: 30.30%; females: 30.16%); the highest prevalence was found in homemakers (45.45%) followed by farmers (38.77%). Among age groups, males and females older than 48 exhibited the highest rates. These results show a significative increase in the prevalence when compared to a epidemiological study made 26 years ago in the same area as well as a different epidemiological profile (gender and occupation) in relation to other areas in Amazonas.     

Projection of older Australians with a history of midlife obesity and overweight 2010–2050

Objective: This study projects midlife obesity status in future older Australians. Design and Methods: Cross‐sectional prevalence of being obese or overweight by broad age groups was interpolated to obtain single‐year‐age data. These estimates were then used to derive prevalence of normal weight and underweight. Data by birth year and year of observation of persons aged 30–70 years were used to construct prediction equations. Results: Results show that older people with a history of midlife obesity is projected to rise substantially in the future. For people aged 65 years, midlife obesity was estimated at 22% in 2010 and is projected to increase to 43% for males and 37% for females in 2050. Conclusion: While the proportion of individuals with midlife normal weight is projected to decline substantially, prevalence of midlife overweight remains almost stable. The number of persons aged 65 years and over having a history of midlife obesity is projected to increase nearly six‐fold from less than 500,000 persons in 2010 to 2.8 million in 2050. In comparison, between 2010 and 2050, Australia's older population aged 65 years and over is projected to increase by only 2.5‐fold. Growing obesity prevalence in the Australian population translates into a large increase in older people with a history of midlife obesity, with major implications for the future burden of disease in older persons.     

Decreasing HIV-1 seroprevalence in young adults in a rural Ugandan cohort.

OBJECTIVE--To assess the trend in HIV-1 seroprevalence in an adult population in Uganda. DESIGN--An observational cohort study with four year follow up. SETTING--A cluster of 15 villages in rural Uganda. SUBJECTS--All residents of the 15 villages--about 10,000 people. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Prevalence of HIV-1 infection as assessed by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS--During the five year period the overall standardised seroprevalence of HIV-1 showed little change; 8.2% in 1990, 7.6% in 1994. Among males aged 13-24 years the prevalence decreased from 3.4% to 1.0% (P for trend < 0.001); among females of the same age the corresponding values were 9.9% and 7.3%. The decrease was greatest in males aged 20-24 years and females aged 13-19 years. CONCLUSION--This is the first report of a decline in HIV-1 prevalence among young adults in a general population in sub-Saharan Africa with high overall HIV-1 prevalence. It is too early to conclude that the epidemic in this population is in decline, but the results of this study should be reason for some cautious optimism and encourage the vigorous pursuit of AIDS control measures.     

Intraspecific nucleotide sequence differences in the major noncoding region of human mitochondrial DNA.

Nucleotide sequences of the major noncoding region of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 95 human placentas have been determined. These sequences include at least a 482-bp-long region encompassing most of the D-loop-forming region. Comparisons of these sequences with those previously determined have revealed remarkable features of nucleotide substitutions and insertion/deletion events. The nucleotide diversity among the sequences is estimated as 1.45%, which is three- to fourfold higher than the corresponding value estimated from restriction-enzyme analysis of whole mtDNA genome. A hypervariable region has also been defined. In this 14-bp region, 17 different sequences were detected. More than 97% of the base changes are transitions. A significantly nonrandom distribution of nucleotide substitutions and sequence length variations were also noted. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that diversity among the negroids is much larger than that among the caucasoids or the mongoloids. In fact, part of the negroids first diverged from other humans in the phylogenetic tree. A striking finding in the phylogenetic analysis is that the mongoloids can be separated into two distinct groups. Divergence of part of the mongoloids follows the earliest divergence of part of the negroids. The remainder of the mongoloids subsequently diverged together with the caucasoids. This observation confirmed our earlier study, which clearly demonstrated, by the restriction-enzyme analysis, existence of two distinct groups in the Japanese.     

Antibodies to different virus antigens in patients with chronic hepatitis C

A total of 176 hospital patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), among them 110 males and 66 females, were examined. The spectrum of antibodies to four hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins (core, NS3, NS4, NS5) and in 142 patients --IgM antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV IgM) were determined. In 92% of the CHC patients antibodies to core, NS3 and NS4 proteins were simultaneously detected. Differences in the detection of antibodies to HCV in males and females were not statistically reliable. In CHC patients aged up to 20 years anti-NS4 and anti-NS5 were less frequently detected. Among males of different age groups reliable differences in the detection rate of anti-NS5 were registered, while among females of different age groups no such differences were observed. With the increase of age these antibodies were detected somewhat more often. In females over 60 years anti-HCV IgM occurred more often than in males of the same age. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were higher in persons with the presence of anti-NS5 and anti-HCV IgM than in persons with their absence. In all groups of CHC patients with biochemical activity and liver cirrhosis the detection rate of anti-HCV IgM was significantly higher than in patients with normal ALT activity. The antibody spectrum with the simultaneous absence of HCV IgM and anti-NS5, while found to contain antibodies to other HCV antigens, was registered significantly less frequently in patients with moderate and high CHC activity and the liver cirrhosis induced by HCV infection.     

Seroepidemiologic study of herpes simplex virus type 2 and cytomegalovirus among young adults in northern Jordan

Blood samples were randomly collected from 360 males and 390 females among apparently healthy university students aged 18-24 years and tested for herpes virus type 2 (HSV-2) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies. The prevalence of HSV-2 seropositivity was 52.8% for males and 41.5% for females as detected by ELISA. On the other hand, the prevalence of CMV seropositivity was 75.6% in males and 77.2% in females. The high percentage of seropositivity in our study is most probably due to the crowded living and low socioeconomic status of the Jordan population. The higher prevalence in males could be due to the way of life in the Middle East that gives males the freedom to play outdoors more than females.     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2- to 6-year-old Italian children

Objective: To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2‐ to 6‐year‐old Italian children and to compare the prevalence between the north and the south of the country. Research Methods and Procedures: This was a cross‐sectional study of 2150 subjects (M/F: 1137/1013), 5.36 ± 0.83 years of age. The sampling areas were Verona (north Italy) and Messina (south Italy). We used definitions of overweight and obesity using BMI values, with cut‐off values proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Results: The prevalence of overweight was 16.6% (males: 13.9%, females: 19.6%), and it was higher in the south (males: 17.8%, females: 22.4%) than in the north (males: 11.3%, females: 17.9%). The prevalence of obesity was 8.0% (males: 8.3%, females: 7.7%), and it was higher in the south (males: 12.3%, females: 10.7%) than in the north (males: 5.7%, females: 5.8%). Using the Centers for Disease Control reference charts, the prevalence of overweight and obesity of Italian children was close to that reported in children living in the United States (32% vs. 32.7%, respectively). Discussion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in young Italian children is very high, and it is rapidly growing. In the south of the country, the prevalence is higher than in the north.     

The epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminth and protozoan infections in south-west Cameroon

A cross-sectional study of the prevalence, intensity and effects of soil-transmitted helminth and protozoan infections was undertaken among patients at the Buea Hospital Annex located in Buea sub-division of Cameroon. Stool samples from 356 subjects (174 males and 182 females) were collected and processed using standard concentration methods. Our results showed that 31.0% of subjects were infected with intestinal helminths and the prevalence was higher in females (32.4%) than in males (30.5%). A significantly higher prevalence was observed in rural (47.2%) than in urban areas (21.0%); significance < 0.1%. Prevalence was highest among those aged between 6 and 12 years (41.4%). The total prevalence of intestinal helminth infections were 19.3% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 14.0% for hookworm and 11.8% for Trichuris trichiura. The intensity of infection was unevenly distributed, with very heavy loads concentrated in a few individuals. Data also showed that 28.1% (100/356) of the subjects were infected with protozoans. Females showed a higher prevalence (28.6%; 52/182) than males (20.7%; 36/174). Also, there was a significantly higher prevalence in rural (34.0%; 49/144) than urban areas (18.4%; 39/212); significance < 0.1%. The age group 6-12 years again had a higher prevalence (37.1%; 26/70). The total prevalence of intestinal protozoans was: Entamoeba histolytica (24.4%), Entamoeba coli (11.2%) and Giardia lamblia (0.6%). These relatively heavy prevalences in patients may be reduced by appropriate medication and maintaining strict personal hygiene. Health education, clean water supply, good sewage management and a congenial environment will all help to minimize infection.     

Effects of age, cohort and individual on breeding performance in the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

The breeding performance of individually colour-ringed Lapwings Vanellus vanellus was studied on marginal grassland in Upper Teesdale, County Durham (UK), from 1992 to 1995. Contrary to many studies of birds, female age had only a minor effect on breeding performance: yearling females produced eggs on average 5% smaller than those of adults. In contrast, the average productivity of male Lapwings was estimated to increase by around 40% between one and two years of age, and by a further 10% between two and three years of age. This was because of a 40% increase in the proportion of males that bred between one and two years of age, and of an increase in mating success with age coupled with a higher breeding success for polygynous males. The likelihood of breeding for male Lapwings was affected by year of hatching. More than half of those males that hatched in 1990, and which were present in both 1993 and 1994, did not breed. It was suggested that this was due to environmental effects experienced by these males as chicks, resulting in reduced success in securing a breeding territory later in life. Individual female Lapwings showed a high degree of consistency between years in both laying date and egg size, and those that raised up to two young in 1993 raised approximately the same number in 1994. However, females producing more than two young in 1993 raised significantly fewer in 1994, perhaps suggesting a cost of reproduction.     

Projected progression of the prevalence of obesity in Australia

Several country-specific and global projections of the future obesity prevalence have been conducted. However, these projections are obtained by extrapolating past prevalence of obesity or distributions of body weight. More accurate would be to base estimates on the most recent measures of weight change. Using measures of overweight and obesity incidence from a national, longitudinal study, we estimated the future obesity prevalence in Australian adults. Participants were adults aged ≥25 years in 2000 participating in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study (baseline 2000, follow-up 2005). In this population, approximately one-fifth of those with normal weight or overweight progressed to a higher weight category within 5 years. Between 2000 and 2025, the adult prevalence of normal weight was estimated to decrease from 40.6 to 28.1% and the prevalence of obesity to increase from 20.5 to 33.9%. By the time, those people aged 25-29 in 2000 reach 60-64 years, 22.1% will be normal weight, and 42.4% will be obese. On average, normal-weight females aged 25-29 years in 2000 will live another 56.2 years: 26.6 years with normal weight, 15.6 years with overweight, and 14.0 years with obesity. Normal-weight males aged 25-29 years in 2000 will live another 51.5 years: 21.6 years with normal weight, 21.1 years with overweight, and 8.8 years with obesity. If the rates of weight gain observed in the first 5 years of this decade are maintained, our findings suggest that normal-weight adults will constitute less than a third of the population by 2025, and the obesity prevalence will have increased by 65%.     

南京迈皋桥社区人群甲状腺功能减退症的流行研究

目的：研究南京迈皋桥社区人群甲状腺功能减退症（甲减）的流行特征。方法：采用随机整群抽样方法按全国城市人口普查的年龄构成在南京迈皋桥地区抽取≥20岁,5年之内不会动迁的常驻社区居民。采集空腹血清1540份,测定促甲状腺激素（TSH）、三碘甲状腺游氨酸（FT3）、游离甲状腺素（FT4）,甲状腺过氧化物酶抗体（TPOAb）、甲状腺球蛋白抗体（TGAb）。结果：（1）南京迈皋桥地区社区人群的临床甲减和亚临床甲减的患病率分别为0.45%,3.96%。（2）男性亚临床甲减的患病率低于女性（P〈0.01）,临床甲减患病率男女之间无显著差异（P〉0.05）。（3）男性不同年龄段间临床甲减和亚临床甲减的患病率均无差异（P〉0.05）。女性临床甲减的患病率有随年龄增加而升高的趋势（P=0.02）,50岁以上女性亚临床甲减患病率显著增高（P〈0.01）。结论：与临床甲减相比,南京社区人群的亚临床甲减患病率显著升高,应加强对其随访和早期防治。     

Obesity and low back pain

Obesity and low back pain (LBP) are common health problems among patients attending Primary Health Care (PHC) in general practice at the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The objective of this study was to determine whether obesity is associated with low back pain. A cross-sectional face-to-face interview questionnaire survey was conducted. The questionnaire was a modified version of the Roland-Morris Scale for evaluating back disability. The interviews were conducted in Arabic by qualified nurses. A multi-stage stratified sample 1,103 UAE national aged 25-65 years, who attended PHC clinics for any reason, were invited to participate but only 802 subjects were eligible to be included for the statistical analysis. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistical methods. Of the 802 subjects, 428 (53.4%) were males and 374 (46.6%) were females. The mean age of the males was 40.5 +/- 11.5 years and females was 38.2 +/- 10.5 years (p = 0.004). The mean BMI of the males was 26.4 +/- 7.4 and females was 27.8 +/- 5.6 (p = 0.002). The overall prevalence of LBP in the present study was 64.9% (95% confidence interval, 61.0-68.8) and respectively, 56.1% in males and 73.8% in females. The results revealed that there was association between BMI and some socio-demographic variables with the respect of with low back pain. Back pain had more influence on the life style habits on females than in males. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that only age (p < 0.0001), educational level (p = 0.001), gender (p = 0.002), place of living (p = 0.019), BMI (p < 0.0001), and housing condition (p = 0.02) had significant effect on the presence of LBP in patients. The present study showed that obesity is moderately associated with low back pain.     

Differential effects of migration and deportation on HIV infection among male and female injection drug users in Tijuana, Mexico

HIV prevalence is rising, especially among high risk females in Tijuana, Baja California, a Mexico-US border city situated on major migration and drug trafficking routes. We compared factors associated with HIV infection among male and female injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana in an effort to inform HIV prevention and treatment programs. IDUs aged > or = 18 years were recruited using respondent-driven sampling and underwent testing for HIV, syphilis and structured interviews. Logistic regression identified correlates of HIV infection, stratified by gender. Among 1056 IDUs, most were Mexican-born but 67% were born outside Tijuana. Reasons for moving to Tijuana included deportation from the US (56% for males, 29% for females), and looking for work/better life (34% for females, 15% for males). HIV prevalence was higher in females versus males (10.2% vs. 3.5%, p = 0.001). Among females (N = 158), factors independently associated with higher HIV prevalence included younger age, lifetime syphilis infection and living in Tijuana for longer durations. Among males (N = 898), factors independently associated with higher HIV prevalence were syphilis titers consistent with active infection, being arrested for having 'track-marks', having larger numbers of recent injection partners and living in Tijuana for shorter durations. An interaction between gender and number of years lived in Tijuana regressed on HIV infection was significant (p = 0.03). Upon further analysis, deportation from the U.S. explained the association between shorter duration lived in Tijuana and HIV infection among males; odds of HIV infection were four-fold higher among male injectors deported from the US, compared to other males, adjusting for all other significant correlates (p = 0.002). Geographic mobility has a profound influence on Tijuana's evolving HIV epidemic, and its impact is significantly modified by gender. Future studies are needed to elucidate the context of mobility and HIV acquisition in this region, and whether US immigration policies adversely affect HIV risk.     

Spontaneous tumors in aged SD-JCL rats (author's transl)

Incidence of spontaneous tumors was examined in 77 male and 73 female SD-JCL rats reared throughout their lifespan of 5 to 36 months. Total tumor incidences were 60% and 95% for males and females, respectively. The sex difference was mostly attributable to a high incidence of mammary tumor in females. The pituitary tumor was found in 30% of males and 66% of females aged 5 to 36 months while islet cell tumor of the pancreas and thyroid tumor occurred later and the incidence of latter was particularly high in rats lived more than 2 years. Myeloid leukemia appeared to occur as early as 5 months of age.