Despite the obvious importance attached to the psychological significance of height and weight in everyday life, few researchers have studied the relationship of these variables to the sales performance of ordinary life insurance salesmen. In the present study, it was hypothesized that (1) taller and/or heavier ordinary life insurance salesmen are more successful than shorter and/or lighter ordinary life insurance salesmen; (2) those who possess more "ideal statures" are more successful than those who do not; and, secondarily, (3) life insurance companies tend to hire taller and/or heavier applicants for life insurance sales positions. The results of this study offer further support for the view that many sales managers and recruiters tend to believe that "the bigger they are, the better," and to select applicants accordingly, with the qualification that in this sample, female agents were taller, but lighter than average. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the life insurance industry and future investigations.

Bab edh-Dhra is the most extensively excavated cemetery from Early Bronze Age, Jordan. Despite thorough study, the social structure and existence of social inequality remain unclear. This was addressed using osteological evidence of physiological stress to compare between family tombs. In societies exhibiting social inequality, individuals of lower status experience higher levels of stress. Evidence of physiological stress (femoral length, LEH, metabolic disorders, periosteal reactions, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis) was recorded using standard methods for 250 adults. The artifact counts in this study have been previously published. Differences in the frequency of stress indicators were compared using chi-square tests. The results show no difference in the frequency of stress indicators between tombs and no correlation between artifacts and frequency of stress indicators. This indicates that families at Bab edh-Dhra experienced similar stress levels and low inequality. This may be due to cultural practices, subsistence methods or lack of data.

Humans, like all animal species, are subject to Bergmann's (1847) and Allen's (1877) environmental rules which summarize physical adaptations to the natural environment. However, humans are in addition cultural animals and other bio-cultural factors such as social, economic and political status, general health, and nutrition, have a noticeable influence on stature and body proportions. Importantly, socio-economic status has a powerful influence on stature, which has been used to elucidate status differences in past societies (Bogin and Loucky, 1997; Floud et al., 1990; Schutkowski, 2000a). Furthermore, bio-cultural factors influence all dimensions of the human body, including weight, relative limb length, and relative length of the different limb segments. Given minimal migration and shared natural environments, all populations in this study, coming as they do from the last 2000 years of English history, should demonstrate similar morphology (c. f Ruff, 1994) if climatic variables were the only influence on stature and body proportions. In order to assess such bio-cultural factors in individuals from archaeological populations, skeletal populations from sites such as known leprosaria and medieval hospitals, rural and urban parish cemeteries, victims from the battle of Towton in A. D. 1461, and individuals from monastic cemeteries were analysed. The osteometric data from these populations were assessedfo r within and between population variability and indicate effects of bio-cultural factors on attained body proportions and stature. The results indicate a strong relationship between bio-cultural factors and body proportions, body mass index, prevalence of pathologies, sexual dimorphism, secular trend, and general stature from Roman times to the post-medieval period. The usefulness of stature, weight, and physical indices as markers of the bio-cultural environment is demonstrated. The main findings include: a greater sensitivity to external stressors in the males rather than the females of the analysed populations, rendering male statures more susceptible to varying bio-cultural conditions; a potential for very tall stature has existed in the analysed populations but was only realised. in very high status individuals in medieval times, and from the beginning 20'h century with better socio-economic conditions for the population at large; a less stratified socio-political environment, as in the late Anglo-Saxon period resulted in taller average male statures that a more stratified one, such as the medieval Nation-States; and medieval monastic institutions could have high status, e.g., the Gilbertines, or lower status, such as the mendicant orders, while leprosaria had the lowest status of all. / Ministere de la Culture, de l'Enseignement Superieur et de la Recherche, Luxembourg; Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford; Andy Jagger Fund; Francis Raymond Hudson Memorial Fund

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No description available.

1. Organisms of all species must balance their allocation to growth, survival and recruitment. Among tree species, evolution has resulted in different life-history strategies for partitioning resources to these key demographic processes.Life-history strategies in tropical forests have often been shown to align along a trade-off between fast growth and high survival, that is, the well-known fast–slow continuum. In addition, an orthogonal trade-off has been proposed between tall stature—resulting from fast growth and high survival— and recruit- ment success, that is, a stature−recruitment trade-off. However, it is not clear whether these two independent dimensions of life-history variation structure tropical forests worldwide. 2. We used data from 13 large-scale and long-term tropical forest monitoring plots in three continents to explore the principal trade-offs in annual growth, sur- vival and recruitment as well as tree stature. These forests included relatively undisturbed forests as well as typhoon-disturbed forests. Life-history variation in 12 forests was structured by two orthogonal trade-offs, the growth−survival trade-off and the stature−recruitment trade- off. Pairwise Procrustes analysis revealed a high similarity of demographic relationships among forests. The small deviations were related to differences between African and Asian plots. 3. Synthesis. The fast–slow continuum and tree stature are two independent di- mensions structuring many, but not all tropical tree communities. Our discovery of the consistency of demographic trade-offs and life-history strategies across different forest types from three continents substantially improves our ability to predict tropical forest dynamics worldwide.

Mutations in the insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptor (IGF1R) have been associated with prenatal and postnatal growth retardation. However, little is known about potential effects of mutations in the IGF1R on carbohydrate homeostasis. Methods: We investigated clinical, endocrine and metabolic parameters in four family members carrying a novel IGF1R mutation (p.Tyr387X): an 18-year-old male (index case), his sister and two paternal aunts. Results: All family members showed a variable degree of impairment in prenatal growth, with birth weight standard deviation scores (SDS) between –1.65 and –2.37 and birth length SDS between –1.78 and –3.08. Their postnatal growth was also impaired, with height SDS between –1.75 and –4.86. The index case presented high IGF-I levels during childhood and adolescence and delayed bone age. The index case and his two paternal aunts had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) associated with a variable degree of alterations in insulin sensitivity and secretion. In contrast, the index case’s sister, who had had IGT during pregnancy, showed normal glucose metabolism but reduced insulin sensitivity. Conclusion: This is the first study showing an association between a novel IGF1R mutation and a variable degree of alterations in prenatal and postnatal growth and in carbohydrate metabolism.

Die Erfassung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität speziell von kleinwüchsigen Kindern und Jugendlichen gewinnt im medizinischen und psychologischen Bereich an Bedeutung. Neben dem Selbstbericht der betroffenen Kinder stellt die elterliche Perspektive zur gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität eine zusätzliche Informationsquelle dar. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde quantitativ und qualitativ die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität von kleinwüchsigen Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Wachstumshormonmangel (GHD) und idiopathischem Kleinwuchs (ISS) aus elterlicher Perspektive (n = 33) untersucht. Grundlage der quantitativen Untersuchung war die Erhebung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität mithilfe des KIDSCREEN-52-Fragebogens aus Elternperspektive. Dieser Datensatz wurde mit den Normdaten des KIDSCREEN-52-Fragebogens deutscher Eltern normalwüchsiger Kinder (N ~ 1683) verglichen. Zusätzlich wurden Gruppenunterschiede (Geschlechter-, Alters- und Diagnosegruppen sowie der Behandlungsstatus) innerhalb der Stichprobe überprüft. Es wurden inferenzstatistische Auswertungsverfahren verwendet. Zudem wurden Eltern über die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität ihrer kleinwüchsigen Kinder im Rahmen von strukturierten Fokusgruppeninterviews in Deutschland befragt. Diese Daten wurden qualitativ mithilfe der Software MaxQDA (MaxQDA 10/11, VERBI Software) ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse der quantitativen Analyse zeigen signifikante Unterschiede zu normalgroßen Kindern in den Bereichen „Selbstwahrnehmung“, „Selbstständigkeit“ und „Soziale Akzeptanz“. Im Bereich „Schule“ schätzten Eltern mit kleinwüchsigen Söhnen die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität schlechter ein als befragte Eltern mit kleinwüchsigen Töchtern. Die qualitative Auswertung zeigt, dass in bestimmten Lebensbereichen kleinwüchsiger Kinder Einschränkungen vorliegen. Neben physischen Defiziten wurden von emotionalen Problemen und sozialen Schwierigkeiten berichtet. Bewältigungsstrategien wurden positiv beschrieben. Insgesamt wurden nur geringfügige Gruppenunterschiede gefunden. In der Kategorie „Auswirkungen auf die Eltern und Zukunftsgedanken der Eltern“ zeigten sich Einschränkungen in der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität der Eltern. Zudem wurde die Unterstützung durch die Eltern als bedeutsam für die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität ihrer kleinwüchsigen Kinder identifiziert.

O peso de nascimento insuficiente é decorrente, principalmente em países em desenvolvimento, da restrição de crescimento intrauterino. Embora as crianças nascidas com peso insuficiente correspondam a 30% dos nascimentos, o seu crescimento até a idade escolar tem sido pouco estudado. Não há informações sobre as diferenças existentes entre o crescimento das crianças nascidas com peso insuficiente e as nascidas com peso adequado. Neste estudo, foi avaliado o crescimento alcançado na idade pré-escolar por 323 crianças nascidas com peso insuficiente, comparado-o com o crescimento de 886 crianças nascidas com peso adequado, tendo como referencial os valores do NCHS 2000. Foi analisada a influência do sexo, idade, idade materna ao nascimento da criança, tempo de aleitamento materno, morbidade, escolaridade materna, número de pessoas na casa e há quanto tempo freqüentava a creche no crescimento alcançado pelas crianças nascidas com peso insuficiente na idade pré-escolar. No conjunto, o crescimento alcançado pelas crianças com peso de nascimento insuficiente foi menor que o observado para as crianças com peso de nascimento adequado, tanto em peso quanto em estatura. O tempo que a criança freqüenta a creche e o número de pessoas na casa foram fatores de risco associados ao menor crescimento entre as crianças com peso de nascimento insuficiente. A idade da criança foi associada também, porém, como fator de proteção. O crescimento ponderal deficiente teve o tempo que a criança freqüenta a creche como fator de risco e a idade da criança e a escolaridade materna como fatores de proteção. Se comparados com crianças de condição sócio-econômica semelhante que apresentaram peso de nascimento adequado, as crianças com peso de nascimento insuficiente são de risco para retardo de crescimento até a idade pré-escolar, evidenciando a necessidade de receber uma atenção diferenciada nos programas de atenção à saúde, incluindo a monitorização do crescimento. / The insufficient birth weight is decurrent, mainly in developing countries, of the intrauterine growth restriction. Although they mean 30% of the births, the growth of insufficient birth weight children has been little described, also until the scholar age. The influence of the demographic and socioeconomic variables in the growth of this group, until the scholar age, also needs to be established. There are not informations on the existing differences between the growth of the insufficient birth weight children and that observed for the adequate birth weight ones. In this study, the growth reached until the preschool age of 323 insufficient birth weight children was evaluated, compared with referential NCHS 2000 and to the growth of 886 adequate birth weight children. It was analyzed the influence of the sex, age, maternal age at the birth of the child, breast feeding duration, diseases, maternal literacy, number of people in the house and time of frequency to the day-care center on the growth reached for the insufficient birth weight children, until the scholar age. The reached linear growth until the scholar age for the insufficient birth weight children was inferior to the expected values of the NCHS 2000 referential. The growth reached by the insufficient birth weight children was inferior to the observed for the adequate birth weight children, in weight, stature and body mass index. The time that the child attends the day-care center and the number of people in the house were risk factors associated to growth retardation, among the insufficient birth weight children. The age of the child was also associated, however, as protection factor. The deficient weight evolution had the time that the child attends the day-care center as risk factor and the age and maternal literacy as protection ones. If compared to children of similar socioeconomic condition, but of adequate birth weight, the insufficient birth weight children are of risk to growth retardation until the scholar age. Thus, the insufficient birth weight children must have a differential attention in the growth monitoring programs.

Wachstumshormon (GH) besteht aus 191 Aminosäuren, hat eine Molekülmasse von 22kD und ist essentiell für postnatales Wachstum. Es wird aus der Adenohypophyse freigesetzt. GH bindet an einen GH-Rezeptor (GHR) und aktiviert somit über intrazelluläre Signalvorgänge Zielgene, insbesondere das, welches für die Kodierung von insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) zuständig ist. IGF-1 vermittelt den Großteil aller GH-Signale. Zusammen mit den bereits bekannten GH Mutanten R77C und D112G ist in dieser Studie der neue GH Mutant d188-190 charakterisiert worden. Alle drei Mutanten wurden in heterozygoter Form in kleinwüchsigen Patienten identifiziert. Diesen Patientendaten zu Folge schien es möglich, dass d188-190 eine GH-antagonistische Wirkung besitzt. Zusätzlich wurde die extrem konservierte C-terminale Disulfidbrücke des GH im Mutanten d188-190 unterbrochen vorgefunden. Die Auswirkung der Unterbrechung wurde durch Substitution einer oder beider involvierter Cysteine durch Alanine untersucht. Alle Mutanten und Wildtypen des GH wurden in menschlichen embryonalen Nierenzellen (HEK-293) angezüchtet und eine Reihe von in vitro Experimenten sind für deren Charakterisierung etabliert worden. Es zeigte sich, dass d188-190 keine GH-antagonistische Wirkung besitzt. Im Vergleich zum Wildtyp weist der Mutant eine verminderte Bindungsaffinität zu GH, schwächere biologische Aktivität und höhere Stabilität auf. R77C und D112G sind dem Wildtyp GH sehr ähnlich. Die Disulfidbrücke ist wichtig für die Rezeptorbindung und für die biologische Aktivität von GH. Wenn ein Cystein entfernt wird vermindert sich die Stabilität des Moleküls. Dieser Effekt kann durch Entfernen des zweiten Cysteins wieder rückgängig gemacht werden. Die in dieser Studie etablierten Experimente können Verwendung finden in der Charakterisierung bislang nicht bekannter GH Mutanten und können darüber hinaus zur Behandlung von Patienten eingesetzt werden. / Growth hormone (GH) is a 22 kD, 191-aa, pituitary-derived peptide hormone that is essential for postnatal growth. GH signals via binding to GH receptor (GHR), which initiates intracellular signal transduction pathways. This leads to activation of target genes, most importantly the one encoding insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, which mediates most GH action. In this study a novel GH mutant, d188-190, was characterized along with previously reported GH mutants R77C and D112G. All of these mutants had been identified in heterozygous form in patients with retarded growth. Based on patient data, d188-190 was thought to be a GHR antagonist. Moreover, the extremely conserved C-terminal disulfide bridge of GH was disrupted in mutant d188-190 and its role was studied by substituting one or both of the involved cysteines with alanines. All mutants and wild type (wt) GH were produced in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells and an array of in vitro experiments was established for their characterization. It turned out that the novel d188-190 mutant is not a GHR antagonist after all. It has a diminished binding affinity to GHR, low biological activity and high stability compared to wt GH. R77C and D112G are rather similar to wt GH. The disulfide bridge is important for receptor binding and biological activity of GH. If one of the cysteines is removed the stability of the molecule drops but this can be reversed by removing both cysteines. If further GH mutants are to be identified, the established array of experiments will be useful for their fast characterization and could even contribute to correct treatment of patients.