Growth tracks in pre-pubertal children.

The present investigation characterizes common growth tracks in pre-pubertal children. Growth tracks denominate areas of probability within which subsequent measurements of the body height (or body height SDS) of a healthy individual will predominantly be found. Growth tracks are defined over several years and they are insensitive to the timing of measurements. The concept of growth tracks was developed to improve separating aberrant patterns from normal growth. Longitudinal data on height were obtained from six large national growth studies, performed at Berkeley, USA, Jena, Germany, Lublin, Poland, Paris, France, Prague, Czech Republic and Zurich, Switzerland with a total of 515 healthy boys and 532 healthy girls. Four hundred and two series of annual height measurements were available in pre-pubertal boys (aged 3-11 years), 416 series in pre-pubertal girls (aged 3-10). Body height was converted into height SDS. Thereafter, average personal height SDS was determined, and subtracted from height SDS, resulting in individual series of residual height SDS. These were sorted by cluster analysis and distributed into groups (clusters) according to similarity or dissimilarity (squared difference). We identified similar clusters, and named them 'growth tracks'. We found five pre-pubertal male growth tracks, each containing between 4 and 37% of the boys. Twenty boys could not be assigned to either one of the five tracks. Very similar results were obtained in girls, with five pre-pubertal growth tracks also, each containing between 3 and 50%. Twenty-three individuals grew irregularly and could not be assigned. Growth tracks are narrow, with an average width between 12.1 and 14.8% of the SD of body height. Most children exhibited almost horizontal height SDS patterns. Others showed linearly declining, rising, or intersection -shaped patterns. None of the patterns were predominantly found in particularly short or tall children. Preliminary data support the practical advantages of the concept of growth tracks.

Range of serum bile acid concentrations in neonates, infants, older children, and in adults.

BACKGROUND: Serum total bile acids (tBA) determination is a non-invasive, simple and very sensitive diagnostic test in evaluation of liver disorders. However, its usefulness is limited by lack of the data on normal value range of serum tBA concentrations in children, especially neonates and infants. The aim of the study was evaluation of serum tBA concentrations according to the age and gender of children, and their comparison with the values found in adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum tBA concentration measurements were performed using enzymatic-colorimetric test Enzabile (Nycomed Pharma, N) in blood samples collected 3 hours after last meal in newborns and infants, and fasting in children over 1 year of age. The studied children were healthy, without any abnormalities on physical examination. In adults, the measurements were performed in fasting patients with inguinal hernia without any other concomitant diseases scheduled for elective surgery. Two hundred seventy eight children (145 females and 133 males) of ages ranging from the 1st day of life to 16 years, and 63 adults (39 males and 24 females) were investigated. RESULTS: Serum tBA concentrations in newborns (mean (SD: 19.6 +/- 5.2 mumol/l) were significantly higher than the values found in adults (5.1 +/- 2.9 mumol/l). Serum tBA concentrations increased gradually after delivery, with peak values occurring at the age of 1 month (22.2 +/- 5.1 mumol/l), which then gradually declined to nearly adult levels. No gender-related differences were observed in serum tBA concentrations in children. CONCLUSIONS: It is mandatory to refer to the age of the patient, interpreting values of serum tBA concentration in children.

Determinants of growth in body length from birth to 6 years of age: A longitudinal study of Lublin children.

The effect of determinants of growth in body length from birth to 6 years of age were studied in a longitudinal sample of 59 male and 70 female infants from Lublin, Poland. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to study the effects of gender of the child, occupation of the parents, the educational level of the parents, per capita income, the stature of the parents, and the weight of the mother on body length at birth and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 years of age. Significant sex differences in length were observed at birth and during the first 2 years of postnatal life, but not in the period between 3 and 6 years of age. Socioeconomic status (SES), expressed as a latent variable in the SEM, was not related to body length at birth but was significantly related to body length during infancy and, to a lesser extent, to body length during childhood. Paternal stature was not related to body length at birth and during infancy, but was significantly related to body length from 3 years onwards. Maternal stature was significantly related to body length at birth and at 1 year of age, but not thereafter, while maternal weight was significantly related to body length at birth only. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Atherosclerosis risk factors in the inhabitants of the nascent Coal Basin of Lublin region.

There were examined 222 men and 253 women over 18 years of age, selected at random from among country people living in the area of the nascent Coal Basin of Lublin district. There was determined their height and body weight, degree of overweight, general fat content in the body, arterial systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as blood serum cholesterol concentration, concentration of triglicerides, glucose and uric acid in the blood. It was found out that the level of studied vascular atherosclerosis risk factors in the population under study was lower than the level found by the Polish Experiment in other populations.

Some genetic problems in physical growth and development. A longitudinal study on children aged 0--7 years.

Aiming at determining the influence of some genetic factors on growth and development, a longitudinal study of 180 children (90 M and 90 F) from the city of Lublin was carried out, with periodical medical examinations and anthropometric measurements from birth to 7 years of age. The parents of each child were also examined. The correlation coefficients between parents and children show that, as regards height, the greatest similarity occurs between mothers and daughters, and a lesser one between fathers and sons. As regards weight, sons are more similar to fathers than daughters to mothers. The relationship between the growth and development of children and the mating type of parents, parental age, and birth order, was also investigated. In negative assortative mating, the children are taller than the children of middle-height parents from positive assortative mating couples. Children (especially daughters) of tall mothers and short fathers grow taller than children of tall fathers and short mothers. Finally, the dependence of growth on parental age and birth order was analysed and the conclusions reached were quite interesting.