An overview of physical growth and maturation

An understanding of physical growth and maturation is relevant to many disciplines, including exercise and sport science, anthropology, human biology, medicine, psychology and education. Growth and maturation is governed by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. There is increasing evidence that physical activity plays an important role in normal growth, development, health and well-being of children and youth, however, caution is required in the activity setting so that growth and maturation is not jeopardised. To appreciate the impact of physical activity and/or exercise on growth and maturation, a thorough understanding of the general principles of auxology is useful. Following an introduction to terminology, an overview of physical growth and development is provided in the context of morphological changes. Detailed information is provided regarding individual variability in growth and development along with sexual dimorphism. A small degree of sexual dimorphism exists at birth however striking differences develop during the pubertal years. Sexual dimorphism in body composition is largely regulated by endocrine factors with critical roles played by growth hormone and gonadal steroids.

Analysis and Modelling of the Effects of Water Stress on Maize Growth and Yield in Dryland Conditions.

It is essential to provide experimental evidence and reliable predictions of the effects of water stress on crop production in the drier, less predictable environments. A field experiment undertaken in southeast Queensland, Australia with three water regimes (fully irrigated, rainfed and irrigated until late canopy expansion followed by rainfed) was used to compare effects of water stress on crop production in two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars (Pioneer 34N43 and Pioneer 31H50). Water stress affected growth and yield more in Pioneer 34N43 than in Pioneer 31H50. A crop model APSIM-Maize, after having been calibrated for the two cultivars, was used to simulate maize growth and development under water stress. The predictions on leaf area index (LAI) dynamics, biomass growth and grain yield under rain fed and irrigated followed by rain fed treatments was reasonable, indicating that stress indices used by APSIM-Maize produced appropriate adjustments to crop growth and development in response to water stress. This study shows that Pioneer 31H50 is less sensitive to water stress and thus a preferred cultivar in dryland conditions, and that it is feasible to provide sound predictions and risk assessment for crop production in drier, more variable conditions using the APSIM-Maize model.

The Sustainability of `Sustainable´ Energy Use: Historical Evidence on the Relationship between Economic Growth and Renewable Energy

20 p.

Effects of microcystins on the growth and the activity of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase of rape (Brassica napus L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Microcystins are naturally occurring hepatotoxic cyclic heptapeptides produced by some toxic freshwater cyanobacterial species. In this study, crude extract of toxic cyanobacterial blooms from Dianchi Lake in southwestern China was used to determine the effects of microcystins on rape (Brassica napus L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.). Experiments were carried out on a range of doses of the extract (equivalent to 0, 0.024, 0.12, 0.6 and 3 mug MC-LR/ml). Investigations showed that exposure to microcystins inhibited the growth and development of both rice and rape seedlings, however, microcystins had more powerful inhibition effect on rape than rice in germination percentage of seeds and seedling height. Microcystins significantly inhibited the elongation of primary roots of rape and rice seedlings. Determination of the activities of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase demonstrated that microcystin stress was manifested as an oxidative stress. Using ELISA, microcystins were examined from the extract of exposed rape and rice seedlings, indicating that consumption of edible plants exposed to microcystins via irrigation route may have health risks. Significantly different levels of recovered microcystins between exposed rice and rape seedlings Suggested that there might be different tolerant mechanisms toward microcystins. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth and milk performance of yak in southern Qinghai area

The Study carried out in Xueshan Township, Guoluo prefecture, Qinghai Province, P. R. China from 1997 to 1999 on 1) Growth regulation of yak from born to adult and 1/4 wild yak from born to one and half year; 2) The effect of nursing or not on the growth and development of dam; 3) Meat performance of local yak; 4)Milk productivity of female yak. It can be served as the theory basis from which crossbreed improvement of yak and government decision could be drawn.

Cathepsin S from both tumour and tumour-associated cells promote cancer growth and neovascularisation

Recent murine studies have demonstrated that tumour-associated macrophages in the tumour microenvironment are a key source of the pro-tumourigenic cysteine protease, cathepsin S. We now show in a syngeneic colorectal carcinoma murine model that both tumour and tumour-associated cells contribute cathepsin S to promote neovascularisation and tumour growth. Cathepsin S depleted and control colorectal MC38 tumour cell lines were propagated in both wild type C57Bl/6 and cathepsin S null mice to provide stratified depletion of the protease from either the tumour, tumour-associated host cells, or both. Parallel analysis of these conditions showed that deletion of cathepsin S inhibited tumour growth and development, and revealed a clear contribution of both tumour and tumour-associated cell derived cathepsin S. The most significant impact on tumour development was obtained when the protease was depleted from both sources. Further characterisation revealed that the loss of cathepsin S led to impaired tumour vascularisation, which was complemented by a reduction in proliferation and increased apoptosis, consistent with reduced tumour growth. Analysis of cell types showed that in addition to the tumour cells, tumour-associated macrophages and endothelial cells can produce cathepsin S within the microenvironment. Taken together, these findings clearly highlight a manner by which tumour-associated cells can positively contribute to developing tumours and highlight cathepsin S as a therapeutic target in cancer.

Gene Dosage Effect of WEE1 on Growth and Morphogenesis from Arabidopsis Hypocotyl Explants.

Background and Aims How plant cell-cycle genes interface with development is unclear. Preliminary evidence from our laboratory suggested that over-expression of the cell cycle checkpoint gene, WEE1, repressed growth and development. Here the hypothesis is tested that the level of WEE1 has a dosage effect on growth and development in Arabidospis thaliana. To do this, a comparison was made of the development of gain- and loss-of-function WEE1 arabidopsis lines both in vivo and in vitro. Methods Hypocotyl explants from an over-expressing Arath;WEE1 line (WEE1oe), two T-DNA insertion lines (wee1-1 and wee1-4) and wild type (WT) were cultured on two-way combinations of kinetin and naphthyl acetic acid. Root growth and meristematic cell size were also examined. Key Results Quantitative data indicated a repressive effect in WEE1oe and a significant increase in morphogenetic capacity in the two T-DNA insertion lines compared with WT. Compared with WT, WEE1oe seedlings exhibited a slower cell-doubling time in the root apical meristem and a shortened primary root, with fewer laterals, whereas there were no consistent differences in the insertion lines compared with WT. However, significantly fewer adventitious roots were recorded for WEE1oe and significantly more for the insertion mutant wee1-1. Compared with WT there was a significant increase in meristem cell size in WEE1oe for all three ground tissues but for wee1-1 only cortical cell size was reduced. Conclusions There is a gene dosage effect of WEE1 on morphogenesis from hypocotyls both in vitro and in vivo.

Growth and developmental outcomes of the extremely preterm infant

Objetive: To provide information for pediatricians and neonatologists to create realistic outcome expectations and thus help plan their actions. Sources of data: Searches were made of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Lilacs databases. Summary of the findings: The assessment of growth and development over the first 2-3 years must adjust chronological age with respect of the degree of prematurity. There is special concern regarding the prognoses of small for gestational age preterm infants, and for those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Attention must be directed towards improving the nutrition of extremely low birth weight infants during their first years of life; these infants have high prevalence levels of failure to catch-up on growth, diseases and rehospitalizations during their first 2 years. They are frequently underweight and shorter than expected during early childhood, but delayed catch-up growth may occur between 8 and 14 years. Extremely low birth weight infants are at increased risk of neurological abnormalities and developmental delays during their first years of life. Educational, psychological, and behavioral problems are frequent during school years. Teenage and adult outcomes show that although some performance differences persist, social integration is not impaired. Conclusions: The growth and neurodevelopment of all ELBW infants must be carefully monitored after discharge, to ensure that children and their families receive adequate support and intervention to optimize prognoses. Copyright © 2005 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.

Trade, environment and development: implications for Caribbean countries

Includes bibliography

The role of SRC family kinase activation in prostate cancer growth and lymph node metastasis

Aberrant expression and/or activation of Src Family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) occur frequently during progressive stages of multiple types of human malignancies, including prostate cancer. Two SFKs, Src and Lyn, are expressed and implicated in prostate cancer progression. Work in this dissertation investigated the specific roles of Src and Lyn in the prostate tumor progression, and the effects of SFK inhibition on prostate tumor growth and lymph node metastasis in pre-clinical mouse models. ^ Firstly, using a pharmacological inhibitor of SFKs in clinical trials, dasatinib, I demonstrated that SFK inhibition affects both cellular migration and proliferation in vitro. Systemic administration of dasatinib reduced primary tumor growth, as well as development of lymph node metastases, in both androgen-sensitive and -resistant orthotopic prostate cancer mouse models. Immunohistochemical analysis of the primary tumors revealed that dasatinib treatment decreased SFK phosphorylation but not expression, resulting in decreased cellular proliferation and increased apoptosis. For this analysis of immunohistochemical stained tissues, I developed a novel method of quantifying immunohistochemical stain intensity that greatly reduced the inherent bias in analyzing staining intensity. ^ To determine if Src and Lyn played overlapping or distinct roles in prostate cancer tumor growth and progression, Src expression alone was inhibited by small-interfering RNA. The resulting stable cell lines were decreased in migration, but not substantially affected in proliferation rates. In contrast, an analogous strategy targeting Lyn led to stable cell lines in which proliferation rates were significantly reduced. ^ Lastly, I tested the efficacy of a novel SFK inhibitor (KX2-391) targeting peptide substrate-binding domain, on prostate cancer growth and lymph node metastasis in vivo. I demonstrated that KX2-391 has similar effects as dasatinib, an ATP-competitive small molecular inhibitor, on both the primary tumor growth and development of lymph node metastasis in vivo, work that contributed to the first-in-man Phase I clinical trial of KX2-391. ^ In summary, studies in this dissertation provide the first demonstration that Src and Lyn activities affect different cellular functions required for prostate tumor growth and metastasis, and SFK inhibitors effectively reduce primary tumor growth and lymph node metastasis. Therefore, I conclude that SFKs are promising therapeutic targets for treatment of human prostate cancer. ^

Growth and public finance in Bihar

This paper explores the causal links between the role of public finance and Bihar's growth and development in the last decade; and argues that these links are tenuous. Bihar's growth acceleration precedes the ‘policy reforms' in public finance based on the ‘good governance' agenda initiated since 2005-06. However, the constraints on sustaining efforts to close Bihar's development gap with the rest of India stems from the nature of the growth process in its regional, sectoral and social dimensions and the contradictory means and ends of the ‘policy reforms' in public finance. Together, this has not only prevented the economic growth to add to public coiffeurs of the state but also occluded the role of tax institutions.

Arachidonic Acid Alters Tomato HMG Expression and Fruit Growth and Induces 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase-Independent Lycopene Accumulation1

Regulation of isoprenoid end-product synthesis required for normal growth and development in plants is not well understood. To investigate the extent to which specific genes for the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) are involved in end-product regulation, we manipulated expression of the HMG1 and HMG2 genes in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit using arachidonic acid (AA). In developing young fruit AA blocked fruit growth, inhibited HMG1, and activated HMG2 expression. These results are consistent with other reports indicating that HMG1 expression is closely correlated with growth processes requiring phytosterol production. In mature-green fruit AA strongly induced the expression of HMG2, PSY1 (the gene for phytoene synthase), and lycopene accumulation before the normal onset of carotenoid synthesis and ripening. The induction of lycopene synthesis was not blocked by inhibition of HMGR activity using mevinolin, suggesting that cytoplasmic HMGR is not required for carotenoid synthesis. Our results are consistent with the function of an alternative plastid isoprenoid pathway (the Rohmer pathway) that appears to direct the production of carotenoids during tomato fruit ripening.

Proposal on debt for climate adaptation swaps: a strategy for growth and economic transformation of Caribbean economies

ECLAC advocates that the Caribbean’s high debt dilemma was not principally driven by policy missteps, or the international financial crisis. Rather, it finds its roots in external shocks, compounded by the inherent structural weaknesses and vulnerabilities confronting Caribbean SIDS and their limited capacity to respond. A major factor has been the underperformance of the export sector, partly due to a decline in competitiveness and a slowdown in economic activity especially among the tourism-dependent economies. Caribbean countries have also accumulated debt as a consequence of increased expenditures to address the impact of extreme events and climate change attendant difficulties. Most Caribbean countries are located in the hurricane belt and are also prone to earthquakes and other hazards. Indeed, a disaster resulting in damage and losses in excess of 5 per cent of GDP can be expected to hit any Caribbean country every few years. Moreover, over the period 2000-2014, it is estimated that the economic cost of natural disasters in Caribbean countries was in excess of US$30.7 billion. The English Speaking Caribbean countries are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters.

Estudo da proporção áurea em indivíduos braqui e mesofaciais por meio de radiografias cefalométricas laterais

Pós-graduação em Biopatologia Bucal - ICT