Radiographic digit ratios (2D:4D) of Afro-Caribbean children: Comparisons with published data from white children.

BACKGROUND: Digit ratio (2D:4D) from soft-tissue measurements of fingers from children and adults from Black and White ethnic groups show sex differences (males

Number of friends and self-perception among Jamaican children: the role of attractiveness and fluctuating asymmetry.

The role that physical attractiveness and fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a measure of developmental instability, play in self-perception and peer associations were explored in a well-studied cohort of Jamaican children using a novel research paradigm where subjects were already known to each other for extensive periods of time. The results showed that how attractive a child was perceived by others was significantly positively correlated with self-ratings of attractiveness. Contrary to findings from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) samples, the study found a reversal in the sex differences in self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem, where Jamaican females rate themselves more attractive and report higher self-esteem than do males. Attractiveness also predicts overall popularity, as measured by desirability as a friend and the percentage of peers who choose an individual as a friend. Attractive individuals of both sexes were chosen more often as 'friends'. A significant correlation was also found between an individual's FA and the average FA of those chosen as friends. However, the effect was primarily due to preferences by males for female friends possessing similar levels of FA, which could be an effective strategy in reducing future mating effort.

Consequences of irregular versus continuous medical follow-up in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To study the social and family characteristics of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with irregular versus continuous clinical follow-up and to study the medical outcomes of patients with these follow-up patterns. METHODS: An onset cohort of 61 children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and their parents were studied. Aspects of their social and family environment were assessed at study inception and examined in relation to frequency of follow-up early in the course of the illness. Follow-up was dichotomized so that patients with continuous follow-up were compared with patients with irregular follow-up, who were defined as those missing 1 full year of planned medical appointments during the second through fourth years after diagnosis. Patients with irregular and continuous follow-up were compared in terms of acute metabolic complications, glycemic control, and retinopathy status during a 10-year period. RESULTS: Compared with individuals with continuous follow-up, patients with irregular clinical visits were more likely to be from families of lower socioeconomic class levels, have a parental history of separation and divorce, and were members of families that reported being least openly expressive of positive emotions. Poor glycemic control in year 1 was associated with irregular follow-up in years 2 through 4. Patients with irregular follow-up continued to have worse glycemic control in years 2 through 4 than patients with continuous follow-up. However, in years 7 and 10 their glycemic control no longer differed from patients with continuous follow-up. More episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis occurred in the irregular follow-up group. Finally, retinopathy occurred more frequently among those in the irregular follow-up group. CONCLUSION: Early irregular clinical follow-up should be considered a risk factor for complications of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Psychologic predictors of compliance in children with recent onset of diabetes mellitus.

A group of 57 children with recent onset of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was studied over 18 months. Compliance with the prescribed diabetic treatment deteriorated over this period. Adolescents (aged 13 to 15 years) were less compliant than preadolescents (aged 9 to 12 years). Initial patient reports of self-esteem, perceived competence, social functioning, behavioral symptoms, and their adjustment to diabetes predicted subsequent compliance behaviors. The findings highlight the linkage of child personality and adjustment with self-care of diabetes, and suggest that psychosocial assessment soon after diabetes is diagnosed may help identify patients at risk for later compliance problems.

The craniofacial pattern of the Lengua Indians of Paraguay.

Lateral cephalometric headfilms of 30 male and 30 female Lengua Indians taken in the Chaco area of Paraguay were compared with a sample of 23 male and 25 female South African Caucasoids with excellent occlusion. The most obvious difference noted between the two population groups was the degree of prognathism evident in the Lengua. This was attributed to the generally shorter anterior cranial base in the latter group rather than to the size or forward positioning of their jaws. The significantly larger ANB (Subspinale, Nasion, Supramentale) angle observed in the Lengua was attributed to one or both of two factors, namely, the short anterior cranial base or the clockwise rotation (forward tipping) of the jaws relative to the anterior cranial base. Chinpoint position relative to the anterior cranial base in the Lengua is not much different from that of our Caucasoid sample. The lower incisor teeth in the Lengua, but not the upper ones, are more labially inclined than those of the Caucasoids.