Knee laxity of Malaysian adults: gender differentials, and association with age and anthropometric measures.

BACKGROUND: Knee laxity measurements have been shown to be associated with some medical conditions such as chronic joint pain and collagen tissue diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of demographic factors and anthropometric measures on knee laxity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from 521 visitors, staffs and students from the University Malaya Medical Centre and University of Malaya between December 2009 and May 2010. Knee laxity was measured using a KT-1000 arthrometer. Multiple regression analysis was used to find the association of knee laxity with age and anthropometric measures. RESULTS: Using ANOVA, knee laxity did not show significant differences among ethnic groups for both genders. The average knee laxity in men was 3.47 mm (right) and 3.49 mm (left); while in women were 3.90 mm (right) and 3.67 mm (left). Knee laxity in women was significantly higher (right knee p<0.01 and left knee p<0.05) than men. Right knee laxity of men was negatively associated with height (p<0.05) and BMI (p<0.05); also a negative association was observed between left knee laxity and BMI (p<0.05). Overweight and obese men had less knee laxity than normal weight and underweight individuals. Elderly men and women (age 55 and above) had lower knee laxity (p<0.01) than young adults (ages 21-39). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that age and body size are important factors in predicting knee laxity.

Body mass index of married Bangladeshi women: trends and association with socio-demographic factors.

Body mass index (BMI) is a good indicator of nutritional status in a population. In underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh, this indicator provides a method that can assist intervention to help eradicate many preventable diseases. This study aimed to report on changes in the BMI of married Bangladeshi women who were born in the past three decades and its association with socio-demographic factors. Data for 10,115 married and currently non-pregnant Bangladeshi women were extracted from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS). The age range of the sample was 15-49 years. The mean BMI was 20.85 ± 3.66 kg/m(2), and a decreasing tendency in BMI was found among birth year cohorts from 1972 to 1992. It was found that the proportion of underweight females has been increasing in those born during the last 20 years of the study period (1972 to 1992). Body mass index increased with increasing age, education level of the woman and her husband, wealth index, age at first marriage and age at first delivery, and decreased with increasing number of ever-born children. Lower BMI was especially pronounced among women who were living in rural areas, non-Muslims, employed women, women not living with their husbands (separated) or those who had delivered at home or non-Caesarean delivery.

Multiple regression analysis of factors influencing dominant hand grip strength in an adult Malaysian population.

Grip strength is an important measure used to monitor the progression of a condition, and to evaluate outcomes of treatment. We assessed how various physical and social factors predict normal grip strength in an adult Malaysian population of mixed Asian ethnicity (254 men, 246 women). Grip strength was recorded using the Jamar dynamometer. The mean grip strength for the dominant hand was 29.8 kg for men and 17.6 kg for women. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the dominant hand grip strength was positively associated with height and body mass index, and negatively associated with age for both sexes. Dominant hand grip strength was related to work status for men (p < 0.05) but not for women. However, there was no difference in grip strength among ethnic groups.

Change in facial shape in two cohorts of Japanese adult female students twenty years apart.

INTRODUCTION: Secular changes in the head and body dimensions of the Japanese population were recorded during the last century, but studies on Japanese adult facial shape were poorly documented. This study aimed to document the secular changes in facial shape and their association with craniofacial measures of Japanese adult female students. METHODS: Data were collected from 1998-2001 and 1975-1979 from institutions in Tokyo and Kyoto. The prosopic index (PI) was derived from morphological facial height (n-gn) and bizygomatic breadth (zy-zy). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the association between PI (facial form) and craniofacial measures. RESULTS: Larger mean values for morphological facial height (n-gn) and for PI, but smaller values for bizygomatic breadth (zy-zy) and bigonial breadth (go-go) were observed in the current sample compared to their predecessors 21 years ago. The most prevalent facial shapes were mesoprosopic (30.53 percent) and euryprosopic (45.14 percent) for the current and previous series, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between the PI and head length (g-op) (p less than 0.01), head breadth (eu-eu) (p less than 0.01) and head height (v-po) (p less than 0.05), and a negative relationship between the PI and head circumference (g-g) (p less than 0.01) and minimum frontal breadth (ft-ft) (p less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a narrowing of facial shape has been occurring for approximately 21 years in adult Japanese females. The best predictor variables for PI were head length, head circumference, head breadth, minimum frontal breadth and head height.

Comparison of fracture patterns between rural and urban populations in a developing country.

INTRODUCTION: The pattern of fracture, including the anatomical location and age distribution, may differ among urban and rural populations due to various factors such as the inhabitants' occupation and living environment. METHODS: This was a retrospective multicentre study involving two urban and three rural hospitals in Malaysia. The demographic data and anatomical location of fracture of patients admitted in 2007 were collected for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 7,973 patients were admitted for fractures between January and December 2007. The femur was the commonest fracture site that required admission in the urban population (21.9 percent), followed by the tibia-fibula (18.7 percent), while the radius-ulna was the commonest site among the rural population (22.0 percent), followed by the tibia-fibula (19.4 percent). The rates of head and pelvic fractures were comparatively higher in the urban population, while hand fractures were more common in the rural population. The higher rate of femur fracture in the urban group, especially among the elderly, may be due to the higher incidence of osteoporosis or a higher proportion of older people in the population. CONCLUSION: The anatomical locations of common fractures differed between the urban and rural populations. A higher rate of upper limb fractures was observed in the rural areas, while femur fractures in the elderly was the main cause of fracture admission in the urban areas. The relatively high rate of hand fractures in the rural areas, especially among children and young adults, may require further investigation.

A mosaic mouse model of astrocytoma identifies alphavbeta8 integrin as a negative regulator of tumor angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis involves a complex set of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that coordinately promote and inhibit blood vessel growth and sprouting. Although many factors that promote angiogenesis have been characterized, the identities and mechanisms of action of endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis remain unclear. Furthermore, little is known about how cancer cells selectively circumvent the actions of these inhibitors to promote pathological angiogenesis, a requisite event for tumor progression. Using mosaic mouse models of the malignant brain cancer, astrocytoma, we report that tumor cells induce pathological angiogenesis by suppressing expression of the ECM protein receptor alphavbeta8 integrin. Diminished integrin expression in astrocytoma cells leads to reduced activation of latent TGFbetas, resulting in impaired TGFbeta receptor signaling in tumor-associated endothelial cells. These data reveal that astrocytoma cells manipulate their angiogenic balance by selectively suppressing alphavbeta8 integrin expression and function. Finally, these results show that an adhesion and signaling axis normally involved in developmental brain angiogenesis is pathologically exploited in adult brain tumors.