Complex estimation of adaptation abilities of the organism in children using the indices of responsiveness of the cardiovascular system and characteristics of EEG

Based on the complex analysis of the data of cardiointervalographic (CIG) and rheoencephalographic (REG) examination of 37 healthy children and 63 children suffering from bronchial asthma (BA), we identified the most informative indices characterizing reactions of the cardiovascular system under conditions of an active orthostatic test (coefficient of autonomic responsiveness and index of responsiveness of the vessels). We conclude that the relation between the values of these indices allows one to identify the level of strain of the regulatory mechanisms and the state of the adaptation systems of the organism, which determine the adequacy of control of the autonomic sphere. The following gradations can be classified: an optimum level, compensated adaptation disorders (strain and overstrain of the regulatory mechanisms), and decompensated adaptation disorders (exhaustion of the regulatory mechanisms and failure of adaptation). Among clinically healthy children, we found a risk group (about 30%) with manifestations of lowering of the organism’s adaptive abilities. It is shown that groups of healthy children and children suffering from BA differ from each other in the shares of different patterns of EEG and variants of EEG responses to a hyperventilation test. Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of EEG in children, despite high interindividual variability, clearly correlate with the state of adaptation processes. The expedience of a complex approach in estimating the adaptation ability of the child based on the data of CIG, REG and EEG examinations is discussed. Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 72–84, January–February, 2006.     

The morphological features and functional state of the adolescent organism under conditions of adaptation to the north

Features of physical development and constitution, functional parameters of the cardiorespiratory system (PWC₁₇₀ and maximal oxygen consumption), and sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on the regulation of blood circulation were studied in 12–16-year-old children of newcomers under conditions of adaptation to the Tyumen North. The percentage of adolescents with an excessive or a deficient body weight, growth lag, and delayed puberty was increased. The girls had a decreased efficiency. Age- and sex-related differences of the morphological and physiological parameters of subjects under study were found.     

Autonomic regulation and mental activity in children during school studies under unfavorable climatic conditions of the middle ob

Autonomic regulation and mental activity were studied in first-grade 7-year-old children under the Middle Ob climatic conditions. The study disclosed some features peculiar to adaptive alterations in children’s organisms and revealed both the degree of tension of the regulatory systems and changes in mental activity that described the “cost” of adaptation to school studies. Adaptation to school process depended on alteration of the regulatory mechanisms which had different expression at certain school periods and on changes in the relationship between sympathico-parasympathetic effects and the central regulation system, which were accompanied by different changes in mental activity. The adaptation mechanisms in most northern children were rather tense due to the unfavorable climatic effect on their organism.     

Age- and sex-related differences in brainstem auditory evoked potentials in secondary school students living in Northern European Russia

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were studied in 46 1st- to 11th-year students (22 boys and 24 girls) of a rural secondary school in Arkhangel’sk oblast. The objective of this work was to study age- and sex-related differences in BAEP characteristics in children and adolescents, living in the North and assess the BAEP characteristics as compared to reference values. In all three age groups of students, interpeak intervals I–III, III–V, and I–V characterizing the peripheral and central conduction times were shorter in girls than in boys. Interpeak interval III–V tended to increase with age only in boys (at puberty), with a significant increase in the latencies of waves I, III, and V. The BAEP characteristics in the subjects examined included a shorter peak latency and a greater amplitude of wave I (except senior students), relatively prolonged interpeak interval I–III, and more pronounced sex-related differences in BAEPs, especially at puberty. These findings show that it is necessary to revise regional reference values for BAEPs, differentiated by sex and age, including at puberty.     

Law of the Minimum Paradoxes

The “Law of the Minimum” states that growth is controlled by the scarcest resource (limiting factor). This concept was originally applied to plant or crop growth (Justus von Liebig, 1840, Salisbury, Plant physiology, 4th edn., Wadsworth, Belmont, 1992) and quantitatively supported by many experiments. Some generalizations based on more complicated “dose-response” curves were proposed. Violations of this law in natural and experimental ecosystems were also reported. We study models of adaptation in ensembles of similar organisms under load of environmental factors and prove that violation of Liebig’s law follows from adaptation effects. If the fitness of an organism in a fixed environment satisfies the Law of the Minimum then adaptation equalizes the pressure of essential factors and, therefore, acts against the Liebig’s law. This is the the Law of the Minimum paradox: if for a randomly chosen pair “organism–environment” the Law of the Minimum typically holds, then in a well-adapted system, we have to expect violations of this law.     

Fifty years of changes in UV Index and implications for skin cancer in Australia

Surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation plays an important role in human health. Increased exposure to UV radiation increases the risk of skin cancer. In Australia, public campaigns to prevent skin cancer include the promotion of daily UV forecasts. If all other atmospheric factors are equal, stratospheric ozone decreases result in UV increases. Given that Australia still has the highest skin cancer rates in the world, it is important to monitor Australia’s stratospheric ozone and UV radiation levels over time because of the effects cumulative exposure can have on humans. In this paper, two long-term ozone datasets derived from surface and satellite measurements, a radiation code and atmospheric meteorological fields are used to calculate clear-sky UV radiation over a 50-year period (1959–2009) for Australia. The deviations from 1970–1980 levels show that clear-sky UV is on the rise. After the 1990s, an overall annual increase from 2 to 6% above the 1970–1980 levels was observed at all latitudes. Examining the summer and winter deviations from 1970–1980 showed that the winter signal dominated the annual changes, with winter increases almost twice those in summer. With ozone levels not expected to recover to pre-depletion levels until the middle of this century, UV levels are expected to continue to rise. Combined with Australians favoring an outdoor life-style, when temperatures are warmer, under high levels of UV, the associated risk of skin cancer will increase.     

Reflection of Anxiety in the Characteristics of Evoked EEG Potentials in 10- to 11-Year-Old Children

We studied the peculiarities of the amplitude/time parameters of evoked EEG potentials (EPs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) in 10- to 11-year-old children characterized by low and high anxiety levels. The latter levels were estimated using the scale of the manifest anxiety test of Prikhozhan and projective techniques (“House–Tree–Person,” HTP, and the Lüscher color test). For children with a high anxiety level, the amplitudes of the following EP components and ERPs were lower than those in low-anxiety children of the same age: P1 (predominantly in the occipital region of the left hemisphere), P2 (in the right occipital region), and Р300 wave (in different loci of both hemispheres). In high-anxiety children, we also more frequently observed increased amplitudes of the N2 component in the left parietal and right occipital regions. High-anxiety individuals were characterized by longer latencies of component P1 (mostly in the right frontal and left central regions) and, at the same time, shorter latencies of component N1 (in the parietal and occipital regions of the left hemisphere and also in the right temporal region). Thus, we found that the amplitude/time characteristics of a few EP components and ERPs in children with high anxiety levels differ statistically significantly from the parameters of corresponding EPs/ERPs in individuals of the same age but with low anxiety levels.     

Effects of Zinc Supplementation on Physical Growth in 2–5-Year-Old Children

Physical growth disorders in under 5-year-old children are a common health problem in many countries including Iran. The aim of this study was to determine effects of supplemental zinc on physical growth in preschool children with retarded linear growth. This study was a community-based randomized controlled trial on 2–5-year-old children with height-for-age below 25th percentile of National Center for Health Statistics growth chart. Ninety children were randomly assigned in zinc group (ZG) or placebo group (PG). After 6 months of zinc or placebo supplementation, we followed up the children for another 6 months. Anthropometric indicators were measured before the intervention and then monthly for 11 months. Forty children in ZG and 45 in PG concluded the study. Zinc supplementation increased weight gain in boys (P = 0.04) and girls (P = 0.05) compared to placebo but had no significant effect on mid-upper arm circumference increment in either sexes. The most significant (P = 0.001) effect of Zinc supplementation was seen in boys’ height increment at the end of follow-up period. Stunted growth rate in ZG changed significantly (P = 0.01) from 26.7% to 2.5% throughout the study. This study showed that daily supplementation of 5 mg elemental zinc for 6 months improves physical growth in terms of height increment and weight gain in children with undesirable linear growth, especially in boys.     

Thymic medullary structures: Microscopical picture of the thymic medullary structures in children with congenital heart defects

The aim of this work is to describe the structure of the thymus, especially its medullary part, in children with congenital heart defects. It is known that development of the thymus and the heart is also influenced by neural crest cells. During the early development of the heart and the thymus cells proliferate and migrate to their primordia. It is known that inadequate cephalic neural crest contribution during development of pharyngeal pouch derivatives results in defective organogenesis of the face, the thymus, parathyroid glands and also the heart. We studied the structure of the thymus in children with congenital heart defects from 0 to 12 years of life at light microscopic and electron-microscopic levels. Thymuses of the patients were surgically removed in the Children’s Cardiocenter in Bratislava. The results of our study confirmed the differences in the medullary structures of thymuses with chosen diagnoses. Hassall’s corpuscles in the thymic medulla were various in size and also in structure and number. The special structures of the thymic medullary region in children with ventricular septal defects and defects of outflow of the heart were big cystic Hassall’s corpuscles. In comparison with a size of Hassall’s corpuscles in normal thymuses the size of Hassall’s corpuscles in studied thymuses suprisingly ranged between 100–250 μm.     

Development and training of coordination skills in 11- to 19-year-old soccer players

The purpose of the study was to determine the specificity of the development and training of coordination skills (CSs) in 11- to 19-year-old soccer players (n = 600). Tests for soccer players’ CSs and technical skills and one- and two-year training experiments on targeted development of CSs were used. It was found that the period from 11 to 13 years of age was the most favorable for the development of CSs in soccer players, and the period from 14 to 16 years of age was the next most favorable. The use of special coordination training aimed at development of individual CSs led to a greater improvement, with the CS and technical skill parameters of athletes from the experimental groups being significantly higher (by 2.5–38.3 and 3.6–12.2%, respectively) than those of athletes from the control groups developing CSs by the traditional method using dexterity exercises.     

Hemostasis system indices after short-term space flights and during 7-day “dry” immersion experiment

The present paper deals with studying the hemostasis system indices after short-term (10–11 days) space flights, as well as in the course of the experiment with a 7-day “dry” immersion. The following values were determined: activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, prothrombin index, international normalized ratio (INR), thrombin time (TT); fibrinogen, soluble fibrin-monomer complexes, D-dimer, plasminogen (PG) concentrations; activity of antithrombin III (ATIII), protein C (PC), and alpha2-antiplasmin (AP).     

Age-dependent cognitive defects caused by local brain lesions of various geneses

The results of neuropsychological analysis of 808 children and adolescents 7–18 years of age were studied. Among the test subjects, 689 children were patients with local brain lesions (tumors, arachnoid cysts, vascular pathology, and congenital hydrocephaly) and 119 children were healthy. Both patients and healthy subjects were divided into four age groups: junior school age (7–9 years), prepubertal age (10–12 years), pubertal age (13–15 years), and senior school age (16–18 years). Cognitive defects were found and demonstrated to depend on the test subject’s age and the type of brain pathology.     

The role of the striatum in adaptation learning: a computational model

To investigate the functional role of the striatum in visuo-motor adaptation, we extend the DIRECT-model for visuo-motor reaching movements formulated by Bullock et al.(J Cogn Neurosci 5:408–435,1993) through two parallel loops, each modeling a distinct contribution of the cortico–cerebellar–thalamo–cortical and the cortico–striato–thalamo–cortical networks to visuo-motor adaptation. Based on evidence of Robertson and Miall(Neuroreport 10(5): 1029–1034, 1999), we implement the function of the cortico–cerebellar–thalamo–cortical loop as a module that gradually adapts to small changes in sensorimotor relationships. The cortico–striato–thalamo–cortical loop on the other hand is hypothesized to act as an adaptive search element, guessing new sensorimotor-transformations and reinforcing successful guesses while punishing unsuccessful ones. In a first step, we show that the model reproduces trajectories and error curves of healthy subjects in a two dimensional center-out reaching task with rotated screen cursor visual feedback. In a second step, we disable learning processes in the cortico–striato– thalamo–cortical loop to simulate subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and show that this leads to error curves typical of subjects with PD. We conclude that the results support our hypothesis, i.e., that the role of the cortico–striato–thalamo–cortical loop in visuo-motor adaptation is that of an adaptive search element.     

Moderation of Increased Anxiety in Children and Teenagers with the Use of Neurotherapy: Estimation of the Efficacy

We estimated the efficacy of using the technique of feedback (FB) by EEG characteristics (EEG-FB, neurotherapy) with the aim of reducing increased anxiety levels in healthy 10- to 14-year-old children. The anxiety level was estimated using the Prikhojan anxiety test, the Spielberger–Khanin questionnaire, and the House–Tree–Person projective drawing technique. Positive effects of series of neurotherapy sessions were obvious. After training was completed, we observed significant increases in the ratios of the amplitudes of alpha and theta rhythms, semsorimotor and theta rhythms, as well as of the modal frequency of the EEG alpha rhythm in tested persons of the experimental group (n = 7). In the control group (n = 10), changes in these values did not reach the significance level. In the experimental group of tested persons subjected to EEG-FB sessions, the anxiety level decreased appreciably; in addition, the indices “feeling of inferiority” and “frustration” decreased significantly. In the control group, alterations of these psychological indices were not unidirectional. Therefore, modifications of the EEG pattern, which occurred in the course of training and were accompanied by a decrease in the anxiety level in the experimental group, can be indicative of the expediency of EEG-FB for the reduction of high anxiety levels in children and teenagers.     

Attained Weight,Stature and Weight/Stature Index for Egyptian Children Aged 6–18 Years. Cairo Area, 1980–1982

Data on body weight, stature and weight/stature² index of 1351 males and 770 females comprising a sample of Egyptian children from Cairo area aged 6–18 years have been presented. Body weight and stature were found to be higher than similar information from a nation-wide sample studied during the early sixties. Besides, there were differences in ages of the maximal increments between the present and previous national study that denote comparatively earlier occurrence of puberty spurts in weight and stature of Cairo children nowadays. However girls after puberty were found to be of lighter weight at present.     

The fatty acid profile of vegetative Azotobacter vinelandii ATCC 12837: growth phase-dependence

Fatty acids of Azotobacter vinelandii ATCC 12837 were determined at various times during aerobic vegetative growth at 30°C to provide baseline data for studying the effects of chemical agents on the organism’s survival and fatty acid biosynthesis. Palmitate (16:0) was the highest at 36.7±4.3 mol% (mean±SD) after the first 5 h in fresh culture, decreasing slightly to 33.4±2.6 mol% at 49 h. The other fatty acids were therefore each normalized as a ratio of 16:0. At 5 h, as a ratio of 16:0, myristate (14:0) was 0.14±0.06, palmitoleate (16:1cΔ^9–10) 0.13±0.06, oleate (18:1cΔ^9–10) 0.21±0.12, cis-vaccenate (18:1cΔ^11–12) 0.30±0.17 and stearate (18:0) 0.68±0.02. As the growth phase advanced to 49 h, 14:0 and 16:1cΔ^9–10 increased, 18:1cΔ^9–10 decreased and cis-vaccenate reciprocally increased, whereas 18:0 decreased. These suggest that the saturated fatty acid biosynthesis pathway yielded 16:0 and 18:0 in the 5-h lag period. By desaturation, 18:0 formed the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) 18:1cΔ^9–10. As the culture aged, the anaerobic UFA biosynthesis pathway formed 16:1cΔ^9–10, which was elongated to 18:1cΔ^11–12. These fatty acid alterations represent a homeoviscous adaptation, modulating the microbe’s membrane lipid viscosity for optimal cellular function.     

A review on the potential of triploid tench for aquaculture

Performance and physiological traits and health of spontaneous and induced triploid tench are reviewed. Triploidy is best induced with cold shock; with triploids exhibiting 13.5–51.5% better weight gain, 2.69–3.94% higher slaughtering value, 20–60% lower gonadosomatic index, 0.9–4.5% higher dry matter in flesh and up to 107% more flesh fat than diploids, if farmed untill post sexual maturity. Triploids exhibit more abdominal fat and less polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 and n-6 groups in the flesh. Triploid females are sterile, while triploid males may produce aneuploid spermatozoa with varying DNA content (1–1.9n) which may initiate development of embryos. Triploids have milder seasonal dynamics in their erythrocyte profile than the diploids. Thinner diffusion distance in gills of triploids than in diploids is interpreted as adaptation to lower aerobic capacity. Triploids show neither stronger tendencies to anatomic malformations, nor have bigger affinity to parasitic diseases than the diploids. Production of triploid tench could be an economically interesting method of farming to higher marketable weight, bringing a relatively high product quality.     

Infantile stage of rat development in behavioral parameters of depression-like state and pain response

In the 7–8- and the 10–11-day old male rat pups born to dams exposed to an immobilization stress for the last week of pregnancy and to the dams exposed to no stress (control), behavioral parameters were studied: the level of depression in the test of forced swimming (the Porsolt’s test) and 24 h after a long pain response during inflammation (the formalin test—a subcutaneous injection of 2.5% formalin into the hind leg plantar pad). In control pups, significant age-related changes in the forced swimming were revealed: the immobility time was longer in animals of the older age group, whereas no age differences were found in parameters of the persistent inflammatory pain and in flexing + shaking behavior. The prenatal stress produced an increase in the immobility time and the flexing + shaking behavior in the 7–8-day old, but not in the 10–11-day old rat pups. This resulted in elimination of the age differences in the immobility time in the prenatally stressed animals. Thus, use of different methodic approaches has allowed revealing peculiarities in the parameters of the degree of depression and duration of the pain response at inflammation in the 7–8- and 10–11-day old rat pups, which indicates heterogeneity of the infantile development stage that, according to literature data, includes in rats the period from the 5th to the 10th postnatal days.     

The effect of culture conditions on the morphology of the dimorphic yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus NRRLy2415: a study incorporating image analysis

The effect of changing environmental conditions on the morphology of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus NRRLy2415 was investigated in batch and continuous culture, using a previously developed computer-aided image analysis protocol [O'Shea and Walsh (1996) Biotechnol Bioeng 51: 679–690]. The morphology of the organism is primarily controlled by the specific growth rate, μ. This finding was contrary to a previous investigation [Walker and O'Neill (1990) J Chem Tech Biotechnol 49: 75–89]. When the organism is cultured in batch with excess oxygen, μ can approach the maximum specific growth rate, μ_m, and the primary morphology of the culture is yeast-like. However, if the organism is cultured in a chemostat, thereby controlling the growth rate, the morphology reverts to a pseudohyphal form. This response is thought to be an adaptation by the organism to its environment, whereby it assumes a foraging form under adverse environmental conditions. The use of computer-aided image analysis made possible the discrimination of subtle morphological differences between samples and the determination of the relationship between morphology and growth rate. Received: 12 April 1999 / Accepted: 10 October 1999     

Measures of bioavailable serum sex hormone levels in aging Chinese by protein chip

The purpose of this study was to develop a protein chip technique based on receptor binding assays to measure bioavailable serum sex hormone levels (BSSHL). 224 aging healthy Chinese were investigated to get the referenced values of BSSHL for the first time. In the assays recombined sex hormone receptor proteins were jointed to polysaccharide coated slides to make protein chip, and the dose-dependence curves of sex hormone on chip were prepared. The data showed that this method had good precision (CV<16%) and accuracy (Bias<10%), and the sensitivity could reach 1 pmol/L. From the results, BSSHL of men and women declined with aging, but no significant differences were observed. The BSSHL of aging men were higher than those of women. The bioavailable serum androgen level of men was 52–112 pmol/L, women’s was 3–70 pmol/L and the whole group was 41.9–81.4 pmol/L. The bioavailable serum estrogen level of men was 0.8–3.0 pmol/L, women’s was 1.2–2.5 pmol/L and the whole group was 0.6–2.64 pmol/L. Based on the assays, BSSHL measurement by protein chip can meet the needs of epidemiological studies in terms of speed, accuracy and sample volume required, and was helpful in quantitative assessment of aging people’s health.