OBJECTIVES: Using prenatally fixed dermatoglyphics features as markers of prenatal sex development is limited due to insufficient knowledge on their sex differences. This study aims to examine more thoroughly sex differences in radioulnar contrasts. METHODS: Fingerprints of 360 females and 331 males from four samples of different ethnic backgrounds (Czechs, Slovaks, Vietnamese and Lusatian Sorbs) were studied. On both hands, finger ridge counts were recorded, and all possible radioulnar contrasts were computed as a difference between ridge count at a radial position minus ridge count at a respective ulnar position on the hand. Radioulnar contrasts with population-congruent and numerically large dimorphism were selected and the dimorphism of the selected radioulnar contrasts was then tested using nonparametric analysis of variance. RESULTS: Greater dimorphism of radioulnar contrasts occurred on the right hand than on the left hand. Population congruent direction and relatively strong dimorphism (Cohen's d greater than 0.3) was found in six radioulnar contrasts on the right hand, all of which involved the radial ridge count of the 2nd finger. Of these, the highest average dimorphism was observed for the difference between the radial ridge count of the 2nd finger and the ulnar ridge count of the 4th finger (2r4u contrast), where the average effect size from all four population samples was comparable to a published average effect size of the 2D:4D finger length ratio. CONCLUSION: We propose that 2r4u contrast of ridge counts could serve as a marker of prenatal sexual development targeting a temporally narrow developmental window.

• MeSH
• biologické markery MeSH
• dermatoglyfika * MeSH
• etnicita MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• pohlavní dimorfismus * MeSH
• prsty ruky anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• sexuální vývoj MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• vitaminy MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine a secular trend in age at menarche (AAM) in the former Czechoslovak (and descendant Slovak and Czech) population in relation to its large-scale political and social events taking place after World War II. METHODS: The study included 211 women aged 18-30 (born during 1984-1998), and their relatives: mothers, sisters, and grandmothers, yielding a total of 421 women. Changes in retrospectively recalled AAM between the three generations of women (oldest-grandmothers, middle-mothers, and youngest-daughters) were studied in pairwise comparisons. Relationships between AAM and the birth/conception date were analyzed relative to three events in the post-WWII Czechoslovakia (1948, 1968, and 1989). RESULTS: AAM was the highest in the oldest generation, slightly lower in the middle generation and the lowest in the youngest generation. Mixed-Effect Model showed statistically significant interaction between the date of conception, historical events, and the period before and after the event. CONCLUSIONS: The recorded decline in AAM is congruent with secular trends reported in the literature. However, the decreasing trend was not linear and included an increase in AAM in women conceived within the five-year period after the invasion of Czechoslovakia by communist armies in 1968.

• MeSH
• 2. světová válka * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• menarche * MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• retrospektivní studie MeSH
• věkové faktory MeSH
• vývoj mladistvých MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Československo MeSH

A variety of models are available for the estimation of parameters of the human growth curve. Several have been widely and successfully used with longitudinal data that are reasonably complete. On the other hand, the modeling of data for a limited number of observation points is problematic and requires the interpolation of the interval between points and often an extrapolation of the growth trajectory beyond the range of empirical limits (prediction). This study tested a new approach for fitting a relatively limited number of longitudinal data using the normal variation of human empirical growth curves. First, functional principal components analysis was done for curve phase and amplitude using complete and dense data sets for a reference sample (Brno Growth Study). Subsequently, artificial curves were generated with a combination of 12 of the principal components and applied for fitting to the newly analyzed data with the Levenberg-Marquardt optimization algorithm. The approach was tested on seven 5-points/year longitudinal data samples of adolescents extracted from the reference sample. The samples differed in their distance from the mean age at peak velocity for the sample and were tested by a permutation leave-one-out approach. The results indicated the potential of this method for growth modeling as a user-friendly application for practical applications in pediatrics, auxology and youth sport.

• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

In athletes who compete in artistic gymnastics, the requirements of the discipline result in a specific body build type. Among other characteristics they must have strong upper limbs. This article focuses on hand grip strength, a characteristic considered to be a suitable indicator of overall body strength. The parameters measured also included body height and weight, and forearm circumference. The study sample consisted of 42 youth female artistic gymnasts and a control group consisting of 68 students of the same age categories. The data analysed included information on 40 athletes and 52 students. Differences in hand grip strength were observed between the athletes and the control group in the first and second age categories, and differences in body height were observed only in the third age category. At younger ages, gymnasts did not differ from the control group in terms of body height, but higher upper limb strength was observed.

Tělesný habitus sportovních gymnastek je dán náročností tohoto sportu. Sportovní gymnastky musí krom dalších charakteristik disponovat i silou v horních končetinách. V rámci naší práce jsme se soustředili na sílu stisku ruky, který je vhodným ukazatelem celkového stavu silových schopností svalstva. Tento ukazatel byl doplněn o měření tělesné výšky, hmotnosti a obvodů předloktí. V rámci výzkumu byly celkem změřeny tyto charakteristiky u 42 sportovních gymnastek, které byly porovnány dle věkového rozdělení s hodnotami 68 studentek. Vyhodnocení proběhlo u 40 gymnastek a 52 studentek. Rozdíl v síle stisku ruky gymnastek a kontrolní skupiny byl nalezen v případě první a druhé věkové kategorie. Rozdíl v tělesné výšce byl nalezen pouze ve třetí věkové kategorii. Bylo též zjištěno, že se tělesnou výškou v nižším věku sportovní gymnastky neodlišují, ale byla u nich pozorována zvýšená svalová síla horních končetin.

Sledování individuálního růstu je v pediatrické praxi vyžadováno denně a často je doprovázeno potřebou podrobnějších analýz. Analýzu lidského růstu potřebují také sportovní antropologové a výzkumníci v oblasti biologie člověka. Přínosem by tedy byla pokročilá a zároveň snadno použitelná a bezplatná aplikace, která by pediatrům, auxologům a výzkumným pracovníkům v oblasti biologie člověka umožňovala provádět hloubkovou analýzu postnatálního růstu. Aplikace GROWTH byla vyvinuta na základě pochopení biologických procesů lidského růstu a matematických přístupů, které poskytují nejvhodnější model pro individuální (longitudinální) empirická data. Aplikace je navržena tak, aby ji bylo možné používat v každodenní pediatrické praxi. Poskytuje lékařům nástroje pro sledování růstu, předpovídání dosažené výšky a diagnostiku patologických růstových vzorců. Pokročilá analýza zahrnuje odhad časování hlavních růstových milníků. Současná verze je vyvrcholením několikastupňového vývoje aplikace a je založena na metodě FPCA (funkční analýza hlavních komponent) s numerickou optimalizací. Výstupní parametry jsou snadno použitelné a zobrazují se numericky i graficky.

Monitoring of individual growth is required on daily basis in paediatric practice, often accompanied by need for more in-depth analyses. Sports anthropologists and researchers in the fi eld of human biology also need to analyze human growth. To allow clinicians and researchers to monitor human growth and analyze it in advanced manner, easy-to-use free application would be beneficial. The application, GROWTH, was developed based on an understanding of the biological processes of human growth and mathematical approaches that provide the most appropriate model for individual (longitudinal) empirical data. The application is designed to be used in daily paediatric practice. It provides clinicians with tools to monitor growth, predict attained height and diagnose pathological growth patterns. Advanced analysis includes the timing of major growth milestones. The current version is the culmination of a multi-stage development of the application and is based on Functional Principal Components Analysis method with numerical optimization. The output parameters are easy to use and are displayed both numerically and graphically.

OBJECTIVES: The universally recognized indicator of nutritional status, BMI, has some shortcomings, especially in detecting overweight and obesity. A relatively recently introduced normal weight obesity (NWO) describes a phenomenon when individuals are found to have normal weight as indicated by BMI but have an elevated percentage of body fat. Normal weight obese individuals face a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, cardiometabolic dysfunction and have higher mortality. No studies have been previously performed which would map NWO in Brno, Czech Republic. METHODS: In a sample of 100 women from Brno, we assessed the percentage of normal weight obese individuals using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) - three different analyzers were utilized: Tanita BC-545 personal digital scale, InBody 230 and BodyStat 1500MDD. Also, a caliperation method was used to estimate body fat percentage. Various body fat percentage cut-off points were used according to different authors. RESULTS: When the 30% body fat (BF) cut-off was used, up to 14% of the women in our sample were found to be normal weight obese. When the sum of skinfolds or the 35% BF cut-off point are selected as a criterion for identifying normal weight obesity (NOW), only 1 of 100 examined women was identified as normal weight obese; at the 35% BF cut-off, BodyStat analyzer categorized no women as normal weight obese. Also, when the 30% BF or 66th percentile BF cut-off points were utilized, BodyStat identified pronouncedly fewer women from our sample to be normal-weight obese than the two other analyzers. CONCLUSIONS: On a pilot sample of Czech women, we demonstrated that depending on the selected cut-off (there is no clear agreement on cut-off points in literature), up to 14% of the examined women were found to be normal weight obese.

• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• index tělesné hmotnosti MeSH
• kardiovaskulární nemoci * prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• městské obyvatelstvo MeSH
• nadváha MeSH
• obezita * MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• složení těla * MeSH
• tloušťka kožní řasy MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

Background: The size of sex differences in dermatoglyphic features and their inter-population differences remains a subject of debate. Combining fingers in traditional dermatoglyphic methodology and omitting finger-specific variations might be a cause for uncertainty.Aim: To compare sex differences in whorl frequencies between fingers.Subjects and methods: Using meta-analytical methods, the authors studied sex differences in frequencies of whorls (log Odd Ratios) for each finger separately, including their heterogeneities (between-samples variance). The dataset of 204 population samples was extracted from published dermatoglyphic studies.Results: Aggregated effects of sex differences were significant in all fingers, except for the left 1st finger. Sex differences were higher in the right hand and increased from radial to ulnar fingers. Apart from the right 1st and 3rd fingers, heterogeneities were small and literally zero in the right 4th finger.Conclusion: Higher sex differences in ulnar fingers and the lack of interpopulation differences all over the world in the 4th finger might be caused by a stronger influence of genetic and/or hormonal factors on dermatoglyphic development of the ulnar side of the hand. It is suggested that future studies, when applying dermatoglyphic traits as markers of prenatal environment, use traits by individual fingers or their relationships within the hand.

• MeSH
• dermatoglyfika * MeSH
• fenotyp * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• pohlavní dimorfismus MeSH
• prsty ruky anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• metaanalýza MeSH
• systematický přehled MeSH

OBJECTIVES: Family represents the closest social environment that immediately affects human ontogeny from an early prenatal period. This study aimed to assess sibship influences on the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D ratio). METHODS: The source sample represented 329 children aged 6.5 to 15.8 years (Czech Republic), including a subsample of 75 sibling pairs. A combination of (a) between-family design (cross-sectional sample) and (b) within-family design (pairs of siblings) was used to study the effect of family variables and interbirth interval (IBI) on the 2D:4D ratio. RESULTS: Birth order, number of siblings (except for younger sisters), and sex ratio in siblings were significantly related to the 2D:4D ratio on the right, left, or both hands. At the same time, the relationships were opposite in males and females for birth order, number of older brothers and number of children in the family--increasing values in these variables increased digit ratio in males but decreased digit ratio in females. Mean difference in 2D:4D ratio (DIFF) within pairs (older minus younger sibling) differed from zero only in the "older sister--younger brother" group, where DIFF did not depend on IBI. On the contrary, in remaining pair types the DIFF tended to change with IBI, the strongest in the "older brother--younger sister" pairs. CONCLUSIONS: Family variables, especially number of older brothers, should be considered as important confounding factors in 2D:4D ratio studies. However, the effect of these variables might be modified by IBI.

• MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• meziporodní intervaly * MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• prsty ruky anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• sexuální faktory MeSH
• sourozenci MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

Délka ruky je vhodným tělesným rozměrem pro odhad výšky postavy ve forenzní antropologii. Takový odhad výšky postavy je však vždy ohrožen populační specifitou běžně užívaných regresních rovnic vypočítaných metodou nejmenších čtverců. Na základě dříve publikovaných statistických parametrů (průměrné hodnoty délky ruky a výšky postavy, regresní koeficienty) z 87 publikovaných studií (212 populačních vzorků) jsme metodami průměrování regresních koeficientů a redukované hlavní osy vytvořili soubor nových transpopulačních rovnic pro odhad výšky postavy z délky ruky. Následně jsme ověřovali přesnost odhadů z těchto nových rovnic na pěti referenčních vzorcích z české, slovenské a bosenské populace a porovnali jejich výsledky s výsledky modelu metody nejmenších čtverců, vyvinuté na českém vzorku. Výsledky ukázaly, že navržené transpopulační rovnice nejsou vhodné pro odhad výšky postavy z délky ruky, pokud nejsou omezeny např. na geograficky užší populační skupinu (v naší studii Evropané slovanského původu). Principiálně obdobné konsekvence doporučujeme zvážit také u odhadů u délek kostí při hodnocení výšky postavy na základě forenzních nálezů skeletu

t has been established that hand length is a suitable parameter for stature estimation in forensic anthropology. However, such estimation is always compromised by population specificity of ordinary regression equations. Based on previously published statistical param- eters (average values, regression coefficients) from 87 studies (212 different samples) available in literature, we developed a set of new cross- population equations for estimation of body height from the hand length (Reduced Major Axis Models, Average Regression Models). Sub- sequently, we tested the accuracy and preciseness of these new equations on five testing samples of primary measurements originating from Czech, Slovak and Bosnian populations and compared the height estimates with the results of traditional Least Squares methods developed on a Czech sample. The results showed that cross-population based models are not suitable for body height estimation from hand length unless they are limited to a narrower geographically confined population group (in our study Europeans of Slavic origin). We propose considering principally similar consequences when estimating the body height from a bone length in forensic skeletal cases.

• Klíčová slova
• odhad výšky postavy,
• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• regresní analýza MeSH
• ruka MeSH
• soudní antropologie metody   MeSH
• tělesná výška * MeSH
• tělesné váhy a míry MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

• Publikační typ
• abstrakt z konference MeSH