Application of the ERICA Integrated Approach to the Drigg coastal sand dunes.

The EC-funded project 'Environmental Risks from Ionising Contaminants: Assessment and Management' (ERICA) developed an 'Integrated Approach' for assessing the impact of ionising radiation on ecosystems. This paper presents the application of the ERICA Integrated Approach, supported by a software programme (the ERICA Tool) and guidance documentation, to an assessment of the Drigg coastal sand dunes (Cumbria, UK). Targeted sampling provided site-specific data for sand dune biota, including amphibians and reptiles. Radionuclides reported included (90)Sr, (99)Tc, (137)Cs, (238)Pu, (239+240)Pu and (241)Am. Site-specific data were compared to predictions derived using the ERICA Tool. Some under- and over-predictions of biota activity concentrations were identified but can be explained by the specific ecological characteristics and contamination mechanism of the dunes. Overall, the results indicated no significant impact of ionising radiation on the sand dune biota and the Integrated Approach was found to be a flexible and effective means of conducting a radiation impact assessment.

Seasonality in antarctic airborne fungal spores.

[This corrects the article on p. 2243 in vol. 63.].

Seasonality in antarctic airborne fungal spores.

Airborne fungal spores were monitored over periods of up to 131/2 months at three sites on Signy Island in the maritime Antarctic. Fungal spore concentrations in the air were much lower than in other parts of the world. Concentrations were very low during the austral winter but increased during the austral summer. Chlamydospores were the most abundant fungal spore type found. Spores of Cladosporium spp. were the second most frequently trapped form. All spore types samples were most abundant in the summer months, except for chlamydospores, which were most numerous during the winter. The concentration of Cladosporium spores in the air at Signy Island was compared with the concentrations of this spore type found in the air in other parts of the world. It was evident that Cladosporium loses its dominance as the most abundant component of the air spora with increasingly high latitude. The peak concentration of fungal spores occurred at two sites following the start of the thaw; at the third site, the peak occurred with the arrival of spores by long-distance transport from more northerly regions.

Estimation of chronological age from different body segments in boys and girls aged 4-19 years, using anthropometric and photogrammetric techniques.

Data obtained from measuring different body segments (stature, sitting height, upper limb, upper arm, forearm, leg, hand and foot length), were used to construct equations for estimating the chronological age of children with unknown date of birth. About 18,510 sets of measurements were taken on boys and 11,568 sets on girls. All were healthy British children aged 4-19 years and participating in three longitudinal studies at the Department of Growth and Development, Institute of Child Health, University of London. Both anthropometric and photogrammetric techniques of measurement were used to construct 35 anthropometric and 49 photogrammetric equations using the multiple linear regression model. These equations give the most likely estimated value for age together with its error. The accuracy of the equations and its applicability both on live children and on postmortem material is discussed.

A longitudinal study of carpal bone development in Perthes' disease: its significance for both radiologic standstill and bilateral disease.

This paper reports a longitudinal study of carpal bone development in 125 children (98 boys, 27 girls) attending a clinic for Perthes' disease. The age at appearance of ossification in each carpal bone was estimated by studying consecutive radiographs obtained at six-months intervals. The results were compared with the findings for normal children published by Stuart et al. Three radiologic groups of carpal bone maturation are defined: not delayed (capitate and hamate); markedly delayed (triquetral and lunate); and slightly delayed (scaphoid, trapezium, and trapezoid). Overall, the bone age delay is severely abnormal at three to five years of chronologic age and indicates the time in development when general abnormalities occur. The mean age at diagnosis (and standard deviation) for 34 boys with skeletal standstill was 4.49 +/- 1.07 years, compared with 7.28 +/- 2.40 years for 51 boys without such standstill; the mean age at appearance of carpal bones was not significantly different between these two groups, suggesting an equally profound delay of carpal maturation in the group of later-diagnosed boys. Boys with bilateral hip disease show a significant delay in age at ossification of the trapezoid compared with boys who have unilateral disease. The immaturity of bone age may be present during a latent period and be of etiologic significance in the onset of the hip disease, but at present the evidence links it only with bilateral disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cross-sectional study of skeletal maturation in normal children from Nottingham and London.

The TW2 method (Tanner et al. 1975) was used to evaluate skeletal maturation in 173 children from Nottingham and 120 children from London WC1 . All of the children from Nottingham had hand-wrist injuries and were attending the Accident and Emergency Department of the Children's Hospital, Nottingham. The London children were all a part of a longitudinal growth study, which started in 1952-1953. When compared with the TW2 centiles, the Nottingham children showed retardation, and the London children advancement in skeletal maturation.

Demographic changes and the need for health technology.

PIP: Discussion focusses on recent trends in demand, giving consideration to how these trends might change between now and the end of the century. Attention is directed to the UK, but to put the situation in perspective a brief review of the worldwide importance of some diseases, as reflected by mortality figures, is included. In 1970 about 7% of the world's population were scarcely affected by the potential benefits of modern technology, and about 30% lived in countries which were only beginning to change from a pattern of very low technology and high mortality to the pattern of lower mortality found in the more developed nations. The expectation of life, at birth, in the whole group of less developed countries in 1970 was 53 years as compared with 32 years in 1935-39. The improvement in expectation of life in some countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa has been marked. In the developed countries, as a whole, the estimated expectation of life at birth increased from 65 years in 1950-54 to about 71 years in 1970. The future trend of mortality and morbidity in countries with a well organized administrative structure for the application of health technology depends primarily on the progress they can make in the reduction of infant mortality, accidents at all ages, and the cardiorespiratory disorders of later life. In the UK the need for health technology is largely determined by the incidence of those diseases which make demands upon it. This incidence is poorly represented by mortality figures because a decline in mortality may reflect an increased survival rate with no reduction in incidences. Much of the technology for the diagnosis and treatment of disease exists only in hospitals, and most patients are admitted to hospitals in order to benefit from the technology they can provide. In 1968 the principal causes for admission of males were diseases of the digestive and respiratory systems or injuries, other than fractures. Together, these accounted for about 30% of cases. In females, diseases of the breast and genital system, followed by those of the digestive and respiratory systems, accounted for a similar proportion of admissions. Admission rates are reviewed for infective and parasitic diseases, malingnant diseases, diseases of the nervous system and sensory organs, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, digestive and urinary systems, gynecological disorders, and congenital abnormalities. When admissions are related to age groups and combined with predictions of demographic trends, they probably provide one of the best indications of the demand for health technology in the future.^ieng

Early postnatal weight gain: comparisons between Asian and Caucasian infants.

Little is known about the early weight gain of British born Asian babies. This study sets out to compare weight gain of 34 healthy Asian term babies with 34 white Caucasian babies over the first two months of life. The Asian infants were lighter at birth but their rate of weight gain did not differ significantly from their white Caucasian counterparts. These findings offer indirect support for the hypothesis that the smaller size at birth of Asian babies is not due to intrauterine growth retardation. Had this occurred a greater weight gain indicating 'catch-up growth would have been expected.

Harpenden electronic read-out (HERO) skinfold calipers.

The Harpenden skinfold caliper has been modified so as to give a simple digital display or an output which may be fed directly to more sophisticated equipment (e.g. digital computer or X-Y plotter) for further analysis.

The relationship of puberty to other maturity indicators and body composition in man.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between sexual development and other maturational processes in children. The word "puberty" is used as a general term to include the development of the secondary sex characters and the attainment of reproductive competence.

Home haemodialysis in children. Report of the London Children's Home Dialysis Group.

In January, 1973, a study was established to evaluate, prospectively and independently, the growth and psychosocial adaptation of children in end-stage renal failure treated by home haemodialysis at Guy's Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital. By January, 1975, 26 children had entered the study, but 2 died before they were established on home haemodialysis. In this paper a specified 1-yr period starting 6 mo after the onset of haemodialysis was selected for analysis. School attendance, diet, plasma-biochemistry, bone disease, growth, and emotional symptoms were investigated in each child. Rehabilitation was satisfactory, and average school attendance was 65%. Growth in all the prepubertal children was poor, whereas in most pubertal children it was adequate. At the end of the year, only 5 children were emotionally disturbed, but half the families had stress symptoms. The children at Guy's Hospital were dialysed more intensively than those at the Royal Free Hospital, and they had significantly lower mean plasma urea and creatinine concentrations and a greater energy and protein intake. On the other hand, the children at the Royal Free Hospital had a better school attendance. We conclude that home haemodialysis is an acceptable treatment for children in end-stage renal failure.

Steroids after birth-puberty.

The production of gonadal steroids in the perinatal period may have an important influence on the later development of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. In the prepubertal period there is an increased output of gonadal steroids and of androgens from the adrenal cortex, with a further increase as the secondary sex characters develop. The precise role of individual steroids in the maturation of the reproductive system and of the neuroendocrine regulating mechanisms will probably remain unclear unless conclusions are based on longitudinal studies in which hormone production is related precisely to different parameters of sexual development and somatic growth.

Skeletal maturity and the prediction of age at menarche.

The regression of age at menarche on the difference between bone age and chronological age was estimated using hand/wrist radiographs taken between the ages of 10 and 15 years of 352 British girls whose ages at menarche were known. The regression was used to determine, in the case of girls who had not yet menstruated at a given chronological age and bone age, (a) the most probable age at menarche, and (b) the age by which 95 per cent would have experienced menarche. The results were compared with predictions made on the basis of chronological age alone. The range of error of predictions based on chronological age only decreases as age increases. This is true also when bone age is taken into account but, at all ages, the error of prediction using bone age as well as chronological age was less than that of prediction based on chronological age alone.

Variation in upper arm length and forarm length in normal British girls: photogrammetric standards.

A photographic measuring technique has been used to study the lengths of the upper arm and forearm in normal British girls. The data are presented graphically, and show: 1. Ellipses which include 97 per cent of normal subjects when upper arm length is plotted against forearm length. 2. Variation of upper arm length and forearm length according to age. 3. Variation of upper arm length in relation to forearm length, irrespective of age. 4. Variation of upper arm length and forearm length in relation to sitting height, irrespective of age. The charts collectively provide a means of defining the exact nature of abnormalities of growth in the arms or of differences between populations. They provide a new aid to the classification of disorders involving abnormal growth of the arms.