Do centimetres matter? Self-reported versus estimated height measurements in parents

An impressive discrepancy between reported and measured parental height is often observed. The aims of this study were: (a) to assess whether there is a significant difference between the reported and measured parental height; (b) to focus on the reported and, thereafter, measured height of the partner; (c) to analyse its impact on the calculated target height range.

Structural differences between the bladder dome and trigone revealed by mRNA expression analysis of cold-cut biopsies

To establish the mRNA expression profiles of selected genes involved in bladder contractility and epithelial permeability in the bladder dome and trigone in order to evaluate the use of cold-cut biopsies for comparative quantitative studies into the anatomical differences between these two bladder regions.

Association of the (CA)n repeat polymorphism of insulin-like growth factor-I and -202 A/C IGF-binding protein-3 promoter polymorphism with adult height in patients with severe growth hormone deficiency

A number of mathematical models for predicting growth and final height outcome have been proposed to enable the clinician to 'individualize' growth-promoting treatment. However, despite optimizing these models, many patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) do not reach their target height. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of polymorphic genotypes [CA repeat promoter polymorphism of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the -202 A/C promoter polymorphism of IGF-Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3)] on variable growth factors as well as final height in severe IGHD following GH treatment. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND CONTROLS: One hundred seventy eight (IGF-I) and 167 (IGFBP-3) subjects with severe growth retardation because of IGHD were studied. In addition, the various genotypes were also studied in a healthy control group of 211 subjects.

Absolute height-specific thresholds to identify elevated blood pressure in children

Identification of children with elevated blood pressure (BP) is difficult because of the multiple sex, age, and height-specific thresholds to define elevated BP. We propose a simple set of absolute height-specific BP thresholds and evaluate their performance to identify children with elevated BP in two different populations.

Fragmentation with a Cut on Thrust: Predictions for B-factories

When high-energy single-hadron production takes place inside an identified jet, there are important correlations between the fragmentation and phase-space cuts. For example, when one-hadron yields are measured in on-resonance B-factory data, a cut on the thrust event shape T is required to remove the large b-quark contribution. This leads to a dijet final-state restriction for the light-quark fragmentation process. Here, we complete our analysis of unpolarized fragmentation of (light) quarks and gluons to a light hadron h with energy fraction z in e+e−→dijet+h at the center-of-mass energy Q=10.58  GeV. In addition to the next-to-next-to-leading order resummation of the logarithms of 1−T, we include the next-to-leading order nonsingular

Influence of growth hormone (GH) receptor deletion of exon 3 and full-length isoforms on GH response and final height in patients with severe GH deficiency

CONTEXT: A polymorphism of the GH receptor (GHR) gene resulting in genomic deletion of exon 3 (GHR-d3) has been associated with responsiveness to GH therapy. However, the data reported so far do vary according to the underlying condition, replacement dose, and duration of the treatment. OBJECTIVE, DESIGN: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the GHR genotypes in terms of the initial height velocity (HV) resulting from treatment and the impact upon adult height in patients suffering from severe isolated GH deficiency. CONTROLS, PATIENTS, SETTING: A total of 181 subjects (peak stimulated GHheight were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES, RESULTS: In the 181 subjects after the first two yr on recombinant human GH treatment, HV sd score (SDS) as well as height gain were significantly greater in subjects with the GHR-d3/d3 genotype when compared with the subjects presenting with the GHR-full-length/full-length genotype (P<0.05). A GHR-d3 allele dose-dependent effect was found for both HV SDS (r=0.72) and height gain (r=0.77). However, there was no significant difference in final adult height and height SDS according to the exon-3 genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that in patients with severe isolated GH deficiency, although the GHR genotype might play a role in GH responsiveness, at least at the beginning of treatment, there is no effect on final height.

Effect of bacterial filter on measurement of interrupter resistance in preschool and school-aged children

BACKGROUND: The interrupter technique is increasingly used in preschool children to assess airway resistance (Rint). Use of a bacterial filter is essential for prevention of cross-infection in a clinical setting. It is not known how large an effect this extra resistance and compliance exert upon interrupter measurements, especially on obstructive airways and in smaller children. We aim to determine the contribution of the filter to Rint, in a sample of children attending lung function testing at an asthma clinic. METHODS: Interrupter measurements were performed according to ATS/ERS guidelines during quiet normal breathing at an expiratory flow trigger of 200 ml s(-1), with the child seated upright with cheeks supported and wearing a nose clip. A minimum of 10 interrupter measurements was made with and without a bacterial filter. Spirometric and plethysmographic tests were also performed. RESULTS: A small but significant difference (0.12 (95% CI 0.06-0.17) kPa s L(-1), P = 0.0002) with 2x SD of 0.34 kPa s L(-1) was observed between Rint with and without filter in 39 children, with a large spread. This difference was not dependent on Rint magnitude, age or height, nor on lung function parameters (effective resistance, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, and maximal expiratory flow at 50% of expired vital capacity). CONCLUSIONS: A bacterial filter causes a small difference but is not clinically significant, with a wide spread comparable to the variability of the technique and recommended cut-offs for assessing repeatability and bronchodilation. Age, height or severity of obstruction need not be corrected for in general.

Evaluating northern hardwood management using retrospective analysis and diameter distributions

Northern hardwood management was assessed throughout the state of Michigan using data collected on recently harvested stands in 2010 and 2011. Methods of forensic estimation of diameter at breast height were compared and an ideal, localized equation form was selected for use in reconstructing pre-harvest stand structures. Comparisons showed differences in predictive ability among available equation forms which led to substantial financial differences when used to estimate the value of removed timber. Management on all stands was then compared among state, private, and corporate landowners. Comparisons of harvest intensities against a liberal interpretation of a well-established management guideline showed that approximately one third of harvests were conducted in a manner which may imply that the guideline was followed. One third showed higher levels of removals than recommended, and one third of harvests were less intensive than recommended. Multiple management guidelines and postulated objectives were then synthesized into a novel system of harvest taxonomy, against which all harvests were compared. This further comparison showed approximately the same proportions of harvests, while distinguishing sanitation cuts and the future productive potential of harvests cut more intensely than suggested by guidelines. Stand structures are commonly represented using diameter distributions. Parametric and nonparametric techniques for describing diameter distributions were employed on pre-harvest and post-harvest data. A common polynomial regression procedure was found to be highly sensitive to the method of histogram construction which provides the data points for the regression. The discriminative ability of kernel density estimation was substantially different from that of the polynomial regression technique.

Modeling and classifying variable width riparian zones utilizing digital elevation models, flood height data, digital soil data and national wetlands inventory : a new approach for riparian zone delineation

Riparian zones are dynamic, transitional ecosystems between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with well defined vegetation and soil characteristics. Development of an all-encompassing definition for riparian ecotones, because of their high variability, is challenging. However, there are two primary factors that all riparian ecotones are dependent on: the watercourse and its associated floodplain. Previous approaches to riparian boundary delineation have utilized fixed width buffers, but this methodology has proven to be inadequate as it only takes the watercourse into consideration and ignores critical geomorphology, associated vegetation and soil characteristics. Our approach offers advantages over other previously used methods by utilizing: the geospatial modeling capabilities of ArcMap GIS; a better sampling technique along the water course that can distinguish the 50-year flood plain, which is the optimal hydrologic descriptor of riparian ecotones; the Soil Survey Database (SSURGO) and National Wetland Inventory (NWI) databases to distinguish contiguous areas beyond the 50-year plain; and land use/cover characteristics associated with the delineated riparian zones. The model utilizes spatial data readily available from Federal and State agencies and geospatial clearinghouses. An accuracy assessment was performed to assess the impact of varying the 50-year flood height, changing the DEM spatial resolution (1, 3, 5 and 10m), and positional inaccuracies with the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) streams layer on the boundary placement of the delineated variable width riparian ecotones area. The result of this study is a robust and automated GIS based model attached to ESRI ArcMap software to delineate and classify variable-width riparian ecotones.