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Amaç: Bu çalışmada Karasu Deresi’nde yaşayan Barbus cyclolepis Heckel, 1837 ve Gobio bulgaricus Drensky, 1926 türlerinin bazı büyüme özellikleri mevsimsel olarak incelenmiştir.Materyal ve Yöntem: Örnekleme mevsimlik olarak (Ağustos 2017, Kasım 2017, Ocak 2018, Şubat 2018, Nisan 2018) elektroşok aracılığıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Her mevsimi temsil edecek örneklemeler arka arkaya 3 gün tekrarlanmıştır. Elde edilen B. cyclolepis ve G. bulgaricus bireylerinin boy, ağırlık, yaş, eşey dağılımları, yaş-boy, yaş-ağırlık, boy-ağırlık ilişkileri ve Fulton kondisyon faktörü değerleri incelenmiştir.Bulgular: İncelenen B. cyclolepis bireyleri 0-III yaş gruplarındadır. Standart boy değerleri 3,5-13,5 cm; ağırlık değerleri ise 1,2232-50,8213 g arasında değişmiştir. Dişi:erkek oranı 1:0,94 olarak saptanmıştır. Tüm bireylerde; boy-ağırlık ilişkisi W= 0,0253*SL2,9226 olarak belirlenmiştir. Yaşa göre en düşük kondisyon faktörü değeri, III yaş grubunda (1,982) dişi bireylerde, en yüksek kondisyon faktörü değeri I yaş grubunda (2,288) erkek bireylerde bulunmuştur. G. bulgaricus türünün yaş dağılımı ise I-IV yaş grupları arasında değişmektedir. Standart boy değerleri 2,5-9,6 cm; ağırlık değerleri ise 0,2989-18,3014 g arasında değişmiştir. Dişi:erkek oranı 1:1,56 olarak saptanmıştır. Tüm bireylerde; boy-ağırlık ilişkisi W= 0,0209*SL3,0081 olarak belirlenmiştir. Yaşa göre en düşük kondisyon faktörü değeri, II yaş grubunda (1,950) erkek bireylerde, en yüksek kondisyon faktörü değeri IV yaş grubunda (2,191) dişi bireylerde bulunmuştur.Sonuç: Bu çalışma sonucunda Karasu deresinde yaşayan Barbus cyclolepis ve Gobio bulgaricus türlerinin kimi büyüme özellikleri ilk defa incelenmiştir., Objective: In this study, some growth characteristics of Barbus cyclolepis Heckel, 1837 and Gobio bulgaricus Drensky, 1926 species living in Karasu Stream, were investigated.Materials and Methods: Sampling was carried out seasonal (August 2017, November 2017, January 2018, February 2018, April 2018) via electroshock. Samplings representing each season were repeated for 3 consecutive days. Lenght, weight, age, sex distributions and ratios, age-length, age-weight, length-weight relationships, Von Bertalanffy parameters, Fulton condition factor values of the obtained B. cyclolepis and G. bulgaricus individuals were analyzed.Results: The examined B.cyclolepis individuals are in the 0-III age groups. Standard length values are 3.5-13.5 cm; The weight values varied between 1.2232-50.8213 g. The female: male ratio was determined as 1: 0.94. In all individuals; Length-weight relationship was determined as W= 0.0253*SL2.9226.According to age, the lowest condition factor value was found in female individuals in the III age group (1.982), and the highestcondition factor value was found in male individuals in the I age group (2.288).The age distribution of G. bulgaricus species varies between I-IV age groups. Standard length values are 2.5-9.6 cm; The weightvalues varied between 0.2989-18.3014 g. The female: male ratio was determined as 1:1.56. In all individuals; Length-weightrelationship was determined as W= 0.0209* SL3.0081. According to age, the lowest condition factor value was found in maleindividuals in the II age group (1.950), and the highest condition factor value was found in female individuals in the IV age group(2.191).Conclusion: As a result of this study, some growth characteristics of Barbus cyclolepis and Gobio bulgaricus species living inKarasu stream were investigated for the first time.

Background: Reported sex distributions differ between frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cohorts. Possible explanations are the evolving clinical criteria of FTD and its subtypes and the discovery of FTD causal genetic mutations that has resulted in varying demographics. Objective: Our aim was to determine the sex distribution of sporadic and genetic FTD cases and its subtypes in an international cohort. Methods: We included 910 patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD; n = 654), non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA; n = 99), semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA; n = 117), and right temporal variant frontotemporal dementia (rtvFTD; n = 40). We compared sex distribution between genetic and sporadic FTD using χ2-tests. Results: The genetic FTD group consisted of 51.2% males, which did not differ from sporadic FTD (57.8% male, p = 0.08). In the sporadic bvFTD subgroup, males were predominant in contrast to genetic bvFTD (61.6% versus 52.9% males, p = 0.04). In the other clinical FTD subgroups, genetic cases were underrepresented and within the sporadic cases the sex distribution was somewhat equal. Conclusion: The higher male prevalence in sporadic bvFTD may provide important clues for its differential pathogenesis and warrants further research.

To investigate the levels of serum oxytocin (OT) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and explore the association between OT levels and gut microbiota relative abundances, we recruited 39 children with ASD children–mother dyads and 44 healthy controls. Serum OT levels were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and gut microbiota abundances were determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that the OT level of ASD was lower than the healthy control group overall (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we present preliminary evidence of gut microbiome dysbiosis observed among children with ASD to lower levels of OT based on correlational analysis between serum OT and specific gut microbiota abundances (P < 0.05). We also found sex-related differences in serum OT levels and GIS index (P < 0.05). However, the generalizability of findings relevant to females with ASD require further validation in future studies involving larger sample sizes and balanced sex distributions due to the small number of females involved in this study. Nonetheless, these new findings further our understanding of the effects of low serum OT levels among individuals with ASD, which provides preliminary evidence in hopes of guiding future study design or mechanistic studies. The findings of the present study may be suggestive of potential ASD subtypes based on ASD severity and gut microbiome composition that may facilitate the prediction of the therapeutic responses of OT among those with ASD.

Proximal humeral fractures (PHF) are among the most common adult fractures. However, valid epidemiologic population-based data, including differentiation of treatment modalities, are lacking.Using the ICD codes and associated OPS codes for PHF, a retrospective analysis of 2007-2016 Federal Statistical Office of Germany data was performed. Data were evaluated for total incidence of PHF as well as total use, annual utilization rates, age, and sex distributions of all associated surgical procedures. Simple linear regressions were performed to evaluate trends in treatment modalities.There were 642,556 cases of PHF. During the study period, incidence changed substantially from 65.2 to 74.2 per 100,000 inhabitants with a significant rise in elderly ( 70 years) patients (P 0.001). The number of surgical procedures increased by 39%, with locking plate fixation being the most common procedure (48.3%), followed by intramedullary nailing (IMN) (20.0%), hemiarthroplasty (HA) (7.5%), K-wire fixation (6.4%), and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) (5.6%). The utilization rate increased for locking plates, K-wires, and RSA and decreased for HA and IMN. Particularly, the utilization of RSA exhibited a eightfold increase. Significant linear correlation of procedure and time were found for all surgical treatments.During this period, the number of inpatient PHFs, especially in the elderly, increased. Although locking plate fixation remained the most common treatment method, RSA had the greatest proportional increase over time, supporting its growing popularity in the light of the current scientific evidence. This incline was offset by a corresponding decrease in HA and IMN, which may be related to a growing knowledge of their application limitations.Descriptive epidemiology study, large database analysis.

Since the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 has been the biggest public health crisis in the world. To help develop appropriate public health measures and deploy corresponding resources, many governments have been actively tracking COVID-19 in real time within their jurisdictions. However, one of the key unresolved issues is whether COVID-19 was distributed differently among different age groups and between the two sexes in the ongoing pandemic. The objectives of this study were to use publicly available data to investigate the relative distributions of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among age groups and between the sexes throughout 2020, and to analyze temporal changes in the relative frequencies of COVID-19 for each age group and each sex. Fifteen countries reported age group and/or sex data of patients with COVID-19. Our analyses revealed that different age groups and sexes were distributed differently in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. However, there were differences among countries in both their age group and sex distributions. Though there was no consistent temporal change across all countries for any age group or either sex in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, several countries showed statistically significant patterns. We discuss the potential mechanisms for these observations, the limitations of this study, and the implications of our results on the management of this ongoing pandemic.

Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with various disease processes. We determined whether consumption of a diet supplemented with HyD®, a 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) source, would safely increase plasma 25(OH)D3 concentrations in Golden Retrievers with low vitamin D status. We hypothesised that dietary supplementation with HyD® would rapidly increase and sustain plasma 25(OH)D3 levels in healthy Golden Retrievers with low vitamin D status compared with supplementation with vitamin D3. Of fifty-seven privately owned dogs recruited with written owner consent, eighteen dogs with low vitamin D status were identified and sorted between two groups to have similar initial plasma 25(OH)D3 concentrations, sex distributions, ages and body weights. Dogs of each group were fed a dry dog food supplemented with either 16 μg/kg of 25(OH)D3 as HyD® (n 10) or 81 μg/kg of cholecalciferol (D3) (n 8) for 4 months. Plasma 25(OH)D3 concentrations were determined monthly. A significant time effect (P < 0⋅001) and time by group interaction (P = 0⋅0045) were found for monthly determined plasma 25(OH)D3 concentrations. Dogs fed the HyD®-supplemented diet experienced a 40⋅5 % rise in plasma 25(OH)D3 values after 1 month (P < 0⋅001) and no change thereafter. Plasma 25(OH)D3 values of dogs supplemented with vitamin D3 did not increase (P > 0⋅05) and were less than values of dogs supplemented with HyD® (P = 0⋅044). With few exceptions, average haematologic, biochemical and urinalyses results remained within the reference range for both groups. Dietary supplementation with HyD® is sufficient to safely increase and sustain plasma 25(OH)D3 levels in healthy dogs.

In beef cattle, horn management is practiced to physically or surgically remove horns for the safety of animals and workers. However, invasive practices of dehorning and disbudding are a great threat to animal welfare, health, production and human safety, as well as labour intensive and costly. The most effective way to limit the impacts and costs of horns is to prevent their occurrences by breeding naturally polled (hornless) herds. Horn development is complex, although two mutually exclusive genetic variants (Celtic and Friesian) have been found prevalent on each copy of chromosome 1 in most polled cattle. Predicting genotypes in an animal is challenging. Available genetic testing assays were often limited in tropically adapted beef cattle. In this study we present a new optimized poll testing (OPT) assay, which has been bundled with SNP genotyping arrays being used for genomic evaluation in cattle. Breeding schemes can profile future parents for pure-polled stock based on the OPT results. We also evaluated the factors causing complexity in horn conditions. Thus, we coupled OPT predictions with head-status and sex distributions, by modelling genetic and non-genetic impacts, revealing that genetics, sex and sex hormones control horn ontology. Finally, concerns of polledness adversely affecting production and reproduction were investigated by using estimated breeding values of several beef traits. We found no detrimental effects of polledness on production or reproduction. Overall, this research concludes that genetically polled cattle will minimize issues about animal welfare and management costs without reducing production potentials in the tropically adapted beef cattle.

Background Growing evidence for clinically significant differences between the sexes has attracted the attention of researchers. However, failures to report a test animal sex and balance the sex ratios of study samples remain widespread in preclinical investigations. We analyzed the sex-reporting rate and sex distributions of test animals in published oncology studies. Methods We selected five oncology journals included in the Scientific Citation Index (SCI) based on impact factors. We identified preclinical investigations with in vivo mouse experiments published in 2015 for inclusion in our study sample. We classified each article by whether or not it reported test subject sex, and by which sex was included. We also recorded whether there were justifications for using one particular sex in single-sex studies (e.g., anatomical reasons) and whether sex-based analyses were conducted for both-sex studies. Results We surveyed a total of 382 articles. Half (50.3%) failed to report test animal sex. Among articles that did report sex, 91.7% were single-sex studies, of which 69.4% did not provide any justifications for using the sex included in the study. Relatively few studies 15.7 studies included animals of both sexes, and only 2.3 studies conducted sex-based analyses. These findings are consistent with those of previous research that used other methods to collect data from the literature such as text mining, but our analysis of the provision of justifications for using one sex versus the other is a novel feature. Conclusions Many researchers overlook test subject sex as a factor, but test animal sex should be reported in all preclinical investigations to enhance the reproducibility of research and avoid faulty conclusions drawn from one-sided studies.

Objectives To assess the perceived facial changes in class II division 1, convex profile patients treated with functional followed by fixed orthodontic appliances. Subjects and methods The study sample consisted of 36 pairs of pre- and post-treatment photographs (frontal and profile, at rest) of 12 patients treated with activator, 12 with twin-block, and 12 controls with normal profiles, treated without functional appliances. All photographs were presented in pairs to 10 orthodontists, 10 patients, 10 parents, and 10 laypersons. Visual analog scale (VAS) ratings of changes in facial appearance were assessed. Results The patient groups were similar in sex distributions, age, and treatment duration. The different rater groups showed strong to excellent agreement. There were no significant differences among treatment groups (F = 0.91; P = 0.526; Wilks lambda = 0.93), raters (F = 1.68; P = 0.054; Wilks lambda = 0.83), and when testing the combined effect of treatment and rater on the results (F = 0.72; P = 0.866; Wilks lambda = 0.85). The raters detected slightly more positive changes in the activator and twin-block groups, compared to the control group, regarding the lower face and the lips, but these findings did not reach significance. Furthermore, their magnitude hardly exceeded 1/20th of the total VAS length. Limitations Retrospective study design. Conclusions The perceived facial changes of convex profile patients treated with functional, followed by fixed orthodontic appliances, did not differ from those observed in normal profile patients, when full-face frontal and profile photos were simultaneously assessed. Consequently, professionals should be skeptical regarding the improvement of a patient’s facial appearance when this treatment option is used.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the amplitude of accommodation (AA) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness.Materials and Methods: A total of 25 MS patients with visual-evoked potential (VEP) abnormalities (MS/+VEP Group), 25 MS patients without VEP abnormalities (MS/-VEP Group), and 25 controls (Control Group) were enrolled. Only findings from the right eye of the participants were included in the analysis. Each participant underwent a pattern-reversal visual-evoked potential (PVEP) recording, an RNFL thickness analysis by optic coherence tomography (OCT) in all quadrants, and a measurement of amplitude of accommodation (AA) with minus lens technique. The AA and the RNFL thickness were compared between the groups.Results: The mean age and sex distributions did not differ significantly across the groups (p= .788, p= .906, respectively). The mean AA was 5.36 ± 0.7 D in MS/+VEP group, 6.06 ± 1.4 D in MS/-VEP group, and 6.4 ± 0.9 D in control group (p= .002). The difference in the mean AA values between MS/+VEP and control groups were significant (p = .002). AA was significantly correlated with age, P100 latency and amplitude values in MS/+VEP group (r = -0.832, p < .001; r = -0.596, p = .002 and r = 0.498, p = .011, respectively). In a multivariable regression model, age and P100 latency were significant parameters for affecting AA in patients with MS (p < .001 and p = .001). In another multivariable regression model, age and average RNFL thickness were significant parameters for affecting AA in patients with MS (p < .001 and p = .010).Conclusions: We found that the AA was lower in MS patients with VEP abnormalities compared to age-matched healthy individuals. P100 latency was a significant parameter for predicting AA in MS/+VEP group. These results suggest that MS patients with VEP abnormalities might experience presbyopia earlier in life than people without MS, probably due to the chronic demyelination of neural pathways.

Background:In most treatment algorithms, osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation is regarded as an alternative salvage procedure when other, previous reparative treatments have failed.Purpose:To compare the outcomes of a retrospective matched-pair cohort of (1) primary OCA transplantation and (2) OCA transplantation after failure of previous subchondral marrow stimulation.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:An OCA database was used to identify 46 knees that had OCA transplantation performed as a primary treatment (group 1) and 46 knees that underwent OCA transplantation after failure of previous subchondral marrow stimulation (group 2). All patients had a minimum of 2 years’ follow-up. Patients in each group were matched for age (±5 years), diagnosis (osteochondral lesion, degenerative chondral lesion, traumatic chondral injury), and graft size (small, 2; medium, 5-10 cm2; large, >10 cm2). The groups had similar body mass indexes, sex distributions, and graft locations (femoral condyle, patella, and trochlea. The number and type of further surgeries after the OCA transplantation were assessed; failure was defined as any reoperation resulting in removal of the graft. Functional outcomes were evaluated by use of the modified Merle d’Aubigné-Postel (18-point) scale, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation form, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS), and the Knee Society function (KS-F) scale. Patient satisfaction, according to a 5-point scale from “extremely satisfied” to “dissatisfied,” was recorded at the latest follow-up.Results:Eleven of 46 knees (24%) in group 1 had reoperations, compared with 20 of 46 knees (44%) in group 2 ( P = .04). The OCA was classified as a failure in 5 knees (11%) in group 1 and 7 knees (15%) in group 2 ( P = .53). At 10 years of follow-up, survivorship of the graft was 87.4% and 86% in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Both groups showed improvement in pain and function on all subjective scores from preoperatively to the latest follow-up (all P < .001). Results showed that 87% of patients in group 1 and 97% in group 2 were “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with the OCA transplantation.Conclusion:Favorable results were shown in both groups with significant improvement of functional scores and excellent survivorship. Despite the higher reoperation rate in the previously treated group, previous subchondral marrow stimulation did not adversely affect the survivorship and functional outcome of OCA transplantation.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a regressive change which occurs in the bone and it is seldom diagnosed before the occurrence of fractures. Hence, determination of mandibular bone density is of paramount importance for the detection of this silent disease. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influences of gender and age on the radiomorphometric indices and to assess the differences in the various indices, if any, between digital and analog radiographs. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fifty six panoramic radiographs (128 digital and 128 analog) were obtained and they were grouped into 8 age groups which were between 21 to 60 years with 5 year intervals between them, with equal sex distributions. The mandibular cortical index (MCI), mental index (MI) and panoramic mandibular index (PMI) were analyzed. Results: C2 and C3 categories of MCI increased as age advanced in females. MI showed a significant difference in genders and MI Values decreased from younger to older females. PMI (p

Importance Previous studies examined sex distributions in different medical faculties, especially because increasingly more women entered the medical field in recent decades. Little is known at present about the female representation in ophthalmic research. Objective To clarify sex equalities in ophthalmic research by evaluating the representation of female authorships. Design and Setting This bibliometric analysis included original English-language articles published in ophthalmologic journals indexed in the Web of Science from January 2008 to August 2018. Authorships were assigned by sex according to first name. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes included the proportion of female authorships, odds ratios of women holding prestigious first and last authorships compared with men (measured by the prestige index), citation rates, a productivity analysis, and cross-journal and transnational female representation within ophthalmic research. The hypothesis was formulated during data collection. Results Bibliometric data were abstracted from 87 640 original articles published in 248 ophthalmologic journals. Of 344 433 total authorships, female scholars held 34.9% (120 305 of 344 433) of all authorships, 37.1% (24 924 of 67 226) of first authorships, 36.7% (77 295 of 210 372) of coauthorships, and 27.1% (18 086 of 66 835) of last authorships. The female-to-male odds ratio was 1.12 (95% CI, 1.10-1.14) for first authorships, 1.20 (95% CI, 1.18-1.22) for coauthorships, and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.62-0.64) for last authorships, with annual growth rates of 1.6% overall, 1.6% for first authorships, 1.3% for coauthorships, and 2.5% for last authorships. Women were underrepresented in prestigious authorships (prestige index = −0.22). The underrepresentation remains almost stable for articles with many authors (prestige index = −0.17 for articles with >9 authors per article). Articles with female key authors were cited slightly less frequently (95% CI for female vs male authors, 10.8-11.0 vs 11.5-11.7 citations/articles). Women published fewer papers than men (42.5% [n = 41 383]; women held 34.9% [n = 120 207] of the authorships), show cross-journal uniformity and differences among single countries (change in prestige index = 0.66 vs 1.96). Overall, 44.1% of female authorships and a sex-neutral distribution of prestigious authorships are prognosticated for 2028. Conclusions and Relevance This algorithm analysis suggests the integration of women into ophthalmic research is average compared with other disciplines. A sex-specific gap exists for last authorship, suggesting career inequalities. With a growing number of female researchers in ophthalmology, the number of women in senior ranks may increase in the future.

To describe ocular component values and refraction in 6-17-year-old school children in Campinas, Brazil.To obtain a representative sample, a total of 1100 6-17-year-old public school students in Campinas, Brazil, were randomly selected and divided into groups according to median ages 6 years (range 5-7 years), 10 years (range 9-11 years), 14 years (range 13-15 years), and 17 years (range 16-18 years). Cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular biometry were performed on each child.Parental consent for participation was obtained for 778 of the 1100 students (70.7%). Of these, 440 (56.6%) were female and 330 (44.4%) male. Sex distributions were similar for each median age group. Median age groups 6, 10, 14, and 17 years displayed significant trends of decreasing mean spherical equivalent refraction (SER; 0.96, 0.89, 0.57, and 0.23 diopters, D, respectively), mean lens thickness (3.50, 3.42, 3.41, and 3.45 mm, respectively), and mean lens power (23.6, 22.7, 21.8, and 21.2D, respectively), but significant trends of increasing mean anterior chamber depth (ACD; 3.00, 3.12, 3.16, and 3.15 mm, respectively), mean vitreous chamber depth (VCD; 16.0, 16.4, 16.6, and 16.8 mm, respectively), and mean axial length (22.5, 23.0, 23.2, 23.4 mm, respectively; all p for trend0.001).Significant trends towards lower refractive power, increased prevalence of myopia, increased ACD, VCD, and axial length, and decreased lens power were associated with increasing age in these children. There were no significant changes in corneal thickness or corneal curvature.

Knowledge about the age–sex distribution of a population is valuable for planning and decision making as it is a determinant of the future development of the population. Various aspects of the age–sex distributions of the population of South Africa estimated by Statistics South Africa remain controversial. For example, at face value the 1996 census implies that the overall sex ratio dropped from 97 in 1970 to 92 in 1996 and 91 in 2001. The 1996 census results also imply that the proportion of peoples aged 0–4 dropped from 15 per cent in 1970 to 11 per cent in 1996 and 10 per cent in 2001. In an attempt to shed more light on these controversies this study evaluates the age–sex distributions from the 1996 census, using a novel approach, and also develops model age–sex distributions for South Africa as a means of evaluating age–sex distributions from the 2001 census, and future censuses and surveys in the country.

This paper evaluates the utility of 2005–2007 American Community Survey (ACS) age/sex distributions below the county level, focusing on Bronx, New York. For large counties that comprise multiple Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) – areas with at least 100,000 people – PUMA-level estimates are derived using controls by age/sex, race, and Hispanic origin that are determined at the county level but that are used uniformly across all PUMAs within a county. This process improves sampling variance and helps compensate for nonresponse. An important issue in a county like the Bronx, which is heterogeneous racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically, is whether county controls reflect nonresponse among individual PUMAs and whether the age/sex distributions that are a product of this process are useful at the PUMA level.

Purpose We examined whether the data registered in the Japanese Patterns of Care Study (PCS) for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represent the actual situation of radiotherapy in Japan. The Osaka Cancer Registry (OCR) data, forming the largest database of a regional cancer registry in Japan, were adopted for use as a benchmark against the national condition. Patients and methods We examined 906 patients of the PCS treated between 1995 and 1997 and 845 patients of the OCR registered between 1988 and 1992. The investigation was made by descriptive statistical methods to measure age, stage, combined treatments, type of treated hospitals, and prognosis. Furthermore, the national averages (NAs) of the PCS process (PCS NA) were also calculated to compensate for the imbalance in the PCS data sampling. Results The mean age was 67.3 ± 10.1 in PCS and 64.4 ± 11.0 in OCR ( p p = 0.411), 84.1% in PCS NA. The ratio of the patients at the localized stage was 24.2% in PCS and 15.6% in OCR ( p = 0.001), 21.1% in PCS NA. The ratio of surgery combined was 24.2% in PCS and 28.9% in OCR ( p = 0.026), 25.3% in PCS NA. The ratio of chemotherapy combined was 50.1% in PCS and 67.5% in OCR ( p = 0.001), 47.4% in PCS NA. Because the definitions of institution classification and period of prognostic inquiry were different between the two databases, the 3-year survival rates were calculated for reference. In the nonsurgery group, it was 20.3% in PCS and 11.3% in OCR ( p = 0.001), and in the surgery group it was 52.5% in PCS and 42.2% in OCR ( p = 0.057). Conclusions Ages in the two databases were inconsistent. Sex distributions were consistent. Surgery and chemotherapy were more frequently performed for the OCR patients, and more patients at more advanced stages were also observed in OCR. The PCS NAs of sex, stage, and ratio of surgery combined were at the midpoints between those of PCS and OCR. The survival rate of NSCLC patients in the OCR was significantly inferior to that in the PCS. The follow-up rate of the PCS was lower than that of the OCR. The general features of PCS data showed similarity to OCR data, and the results of the PCS NAs suggested the effectiveness of this method to adjust the sampling imbalance in PCS.

Objective: To analyse trends in AIDS mortality in men and women in Brazil, for the period 1984-1995. Design and methods: National statistics on yearly numbers of reported deaths by cause, in conjunction with census population counts and inter-censory estimates, were used to calculate age- and sex-specific AIDS mortality rates for Brazil as a whole and for Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two largest cities in Brazil, and those most affected by the AIDS epidemic to date. Results: Numbers of reported deaths from AIDS have increased yearly in Brazil since 1984, to approximately 15 000 in 1995. The data suggest that after a very dramatic rise in mortality rates, the epidemic may have started to slow even before the introduc- tion of freely available highly-active anti-retroviral therapy, although unequally in terms of both geographical and sex distributions. Women also tended to die at relatively younger ages than men in all areas studied, and by 1995 the impact of AIDS on overall mortality was practically the same for men and women aged 25-34 years (21% in Sao Paulo). Conclusions: Trends in mortality from AIDS in Brazil reflect both the geographical expansion of the epidemic outwards from its original epicentres, and the fact that women are becoming increasingly affected by the AIDS epidemic.

Objective. To examine the concurrent validity and temporal stability of the xerostomia inventory (XI), an 11-item summated rating scale that was developed to enable measurement of the severity of dry mouth symptoms in epidemiologic and clinical studies. Study Design. A prospective cohort study design was used. Measurements of the severity of dry-mouth symptoms were made with the use of the XI and a standard dry-mouth question (“How often does your mouth feel dry?”) on 2 groups of people at baseline, 2, 4, and 6 months. The 2 groups were chosen for their differing symptom trajectories: the Onset group (N = 57) comprised patients who were about to undergo radiotherapy for head and neck cancer; and the Normal group (N = 55) was a convenience sample of middle-aged and older individuals who were not expected to undergo changes in mouth dryness over the study period. Results. The sex distributions of the 2 groups were similar, but the Onset group was younger than the Normal group overall. Baseline XI scores were higher among the Onset group. The mean XI scores of the Normal group did not differ over the observation period, indicating acceptable temporal stability of the XI. The scores of the Onset group showed a substantial increase between baseline and 2 months, after which the 2-month level was sustained over the remainder of the study period. That these patterns were mirrored in the percentage responding “Frequently” or “Always” to the standard question provided further evidence for the concurrent validity of the XI. Linear regression was used to estimate the difference between the final scores after adjusting for age, sex, and initial difference in scores between the 2 groups. This was found to be 9.17 (95% CI 6.24, 12.10) and confirmed that undergoing radiotherapy for head/neck cancer was associated with a substantial increase in the severity of xerostomia symptoms. Conclusion. The xerostomia inventory appears to be a valid multi-item method for measuring the severity of the symptoms of dry mouth in clinical and epidemiologic studies. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2000;89:46-50)

Facial motion cues facilitate identity and expression processing (Pilz, Thornton, & Bülthoff, 2006). To explore this dynamic advantage, we used Garner's speeded classification task (Garner, 1976) to investigate whether adding dynamic cues alters the interactions between the processing of identity and expression. We also examined whether facial motion affected women and men differently, given that women show an advantage for several aspects of static face processing (McClure, 2000). Participants made speeded identity or expression judgments while the irrelevant cue was held constant or varied. Significant interference occurred with both tasks when static stimuli were used (as in Ganel & Goshen-Gottstein, 2004), but interference was minimal with dynamic displays. This suggests that adult viewers are either better able to selectively attend to relevant cues, or better able to integrate multiple facial cues, when viewing moving as opposed to static faces. These gains, however, come with a cost in processing time. Only women showed asymmetrical interference with static faces, with variations in identity affecting expression judgments more than the opposite. This finding may reflect sex differences in global-local processing biases (Godard & Fiori, 2012). Our findings stress the importance of using dynamic displays and of considering sex distributions when characterizing typical face processing mechanisms.

The sexing of subadult remains has been an ongoing problem in physical anthropology for many years. This is due in part to the scarcity of subadult collections of known age and sex which are large enough to be used to develop and test analytical methods. Several methods have been devised but few have produced reliable results. In 1980, Weaver presented a method for sexing subadult ilia using a nonmetric trait (the raised versus nonraised auricular surface), which has an accuracy of 75% in fetal females and 92% in fetal males. His method has not been tested for reliability on a different subadult sample. An indirect test of Weaver's method was made on a sample of subadult South Dakota Arikara Indian ilia by comparing the ratio of raised to nonraised auricular surfaces with an expected 1:1 sex distribution. Bimodal sex distributions in the Arikara formed unrealistic sex ratios, following an age-related shift from a 6:1 raised/nonraised ratio in newborns to a 1:4 ratio in young adolescence. Significant age correlations were found both in the present study and in Weaver's published results. The age-to-sex correlations indicated no confounding in the present study. The results of this test suggest that auricular surface morphology is not sex specific in subadult ilia, but may be related to aspects of shape and morphology in pelvic growth.

Analysis of the sex-role ideology of 1,258 self-identified psychotherapists from nine occupations indicated that: a) the sample was representative; b) as a group, self-identified psychotherapists were moderately feminist; c) there were significant differences among occupations; and d) results were not due solely to the effects of age or sex distributions among occupations.

Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) migrated in an easterly direction into the Carp and Pancake rivers, Lake Superior, from 26 August to 30 September 1981. Population estimates were 7,500 and 7,285 at the Carp and Pancake rivers, respectively. Peaks in numbers of fish entering the rivers followed onshore wind events. River entrance peaked between 2000 and 2400. Fish moved within the rivers at approximately 1 km/d. The proportions of females, 35 and 45% at the Carp and Pancake rivers, respectively, were low compared to those of Pacific stocks, and varied temporally, being lowest early in the migrations. Mean size of male migrants varied over time, with smaller males coming first, followed by larger males. Toward the end of the migrations, mean length of males decreased. Mean length of females did not vary temporally. At each river, several hundred fish that had not spawned were recaptured attempting to return to the lake. Many were recaught several times, each time being replaced upstream. Thirty-two such fish were subsequently recaught in nearshore nets. This exiting of rivers was greater than previously reported for Pacific stocks. We hypothesize that in Great Lakes pink salmon, exiting rivers is a characteristic of straying behaviour, and that straying has been selected for in this stock.

More than 1.5 billion prescriptions were dispensed from retail pharmacies in 1984 at a consumer cost of +18.4 billion. The number of prescriptions dispensed in 1984 equaled the previous record set in 1973. Over 40% of 1984 prescriptions were for four therapeutic classes: cardiovascular drugs, anti-infectives, psychotherapeutic drugs, and diuretics. Prescriptions for cardiovascular drugs and diuretics increased substantially from 1975 to 1984, while prescriptions for psychotherapeutic drugs decreased. Outpatient use of systemic antiinfectives remained fairly stable over the 10-year period. Trends in the use of specific drug categories within these broad therapeutic classes were variable, as were patient age and sex distributions.

Men and women medical students choose different medical specialties. These different choice patterns are sometimes explained as results of varying personal and professional orientations of men and women. This study examines this explanation through log-linear analysis of questionnaire responses of 266 men and women who are recent medical school graduates. Women and men show greater similarities than differences in expected rewards from medical practice, although men value extrinsic rewards, money, and authority more so than do women. Furthermore, men and women do not differ on expected personal life priorities for the years beyond medical school. Theories which consider differences in women's and men's personal orientations as the primary explanation for sex distributions across medical specialties receive little support. Alternative explanations are considered.

A series of 155 sudden infant deaths in Tasmania for the period from 1970 to 1976 gives an incidence rate of 2.94 deaths per 1000 live births. This abnormally high State figure is composed of significant internal regional variations. The seasonal, age, and sex distributions are, however, similar to those generally reported elsewhere. If "pneumonitis", as defined in this paper, is also included, the over-all rate of sudden infant deaths becomes 3.79 per 1000 live births.

SUMMARY A study is reported of the age, breed, and sex distributions of atrial fibrillation in dogs, its association with various types of underlying heart disease, and its prognostic significance. Clinical heart disease was present in 877 of 30,663 dogs surveyed, and 55 (6.27 per cent) had chronic atrial fibrillation. Prevalence, which was significantly higher in giant breeds, increased with age and was higher in males than in females.

Hellin (1895) published evidence indicating that the relative frequencies of multiple births conform to a simple mathematical relationship which may be expressed thus: The frequency of triplet maternities is equal to the square of the frequency of twin maternities, and the frequency of quadruplet maternities is equal to its cube. Stated in general terms, if / is the frequency of twin litters, the frequency of litters of size n is equal to fn~l. This expression has since been tested many times. Although discrepancies between predicted and observed values have been noted (Strandskov, 1945), they appear not to have dispelled belief in the validity of the relationship which, it would appear, has now acquired the status of a "law".

An unselected sample of 90 first admissions (66 male and 24 female) to the only mental hospital in Jamaica is described. Over 60 per cent were less than 35 years of age with a younger age of onset in the males. Half the admissions were schizophrenics, a fifth affective disorders, a quarter organic disorders, and none psychoneurotic. The sex distributions of these groups showed a marked male excess for schizophrenia and organic disorders which was not present for affective disorders. In addition to the effects of introducing psychiatric care in general hospitals, factors of selection, social stress and protection are discussed to explain these findings. The implications for planning and research are noted. It is recommended that nurses be given authority as Mental Health Supervisors to cope with the problems in this rural society.

Individuals participating in the Tecumseh Community Health Study, in 1959–1960 (TCHS I) and 1962–1965 (TCHS II), had serum uric acid determinations by an enzymatic spectrophotometric method, SUA(ES), as part of a comprehensive health examination. Among the 1633 male and 1725 female subjects, the mean serum uric acid concentration had increased by 0.32 mg per 100 ml for males, and by 0.18 for females, over the the average of 4.1 yr between determinations. It was found that, approximately, 40 per cent of subjects had a decrease, and 56 per cent, an increase, in serum uric acid concentration. The change was greater than plus or minus 2.0 mg per 100 ml for 28.7 per cent of males and 19.4 per cent of females. Decreases of as much as 8.2, and increases of as much as 9.9 mg per 100 ml were observed. How much of the average increase, in an average 4.1 yr interval between tests, is due to ageing, except for males in the age range of 10–19 yr, is problematical. It seems probably that most of the average increase was due to technical factors in performance of the test. In the study of 1962–1965, serum uric acid determinations were done by two methods. An automated colorimetric method was compared with an enzymatic spectrophotometric method. Both methods showed the same types of distribution curves of serum uric acid concentrations and curves of age-sex specific mean serum uric acid. The values obtained by the automated colorimetric method were slightly, but, consistently, higher to a statistically significant degree than those of the enzymatic spectro-photometric method. For 2092 male subjects, the mean SUA(AC) was 0.21 mg per 100 ml greater than the mean SUA(ES), while for 2104 females subjects, this difference was 0.14. Of 4196 study subjects, whose sera were tested by both methods, about 90.0 per cent showed an agreement of the two values within ± 0.9 mg per 100 ml. However, 1.9 per cent of males and 1.6 per cent of females, had ES values which exceeded AC values by 2.0 mg per 100 ml, while 2.8 per cent of male and 2.3 per cent of female subjects had AC values greater than ES values by 2.0 mg per 100 ml. The extremes of differences range from 4.4 to 7.3 mg per 100 ml. The data in this paper gives us increased confidence in the essential validity of the mean age and sex distributions of serum uric acid values, from the Tecumseh Community Health Studies, published in an earlier paper [2]. It is concluded that, for the purposes of population studies, the automated colorimetric method is more advantageous than the enzymatic spectrophotometric method, because of its lesser cost. Comparison of the results of the two studies emphasizes the problems of definition of hyperuricemia. Further mathematical analysis of the distribution curves obtained in such studies may lead to definitions of normo- and hyperuricemia of greater precision for clinical purposes.

If one looks at any particular species of μm, one will not experience any problem or uncertainty in recognizing it as a member of the genus. The sexually dimorphic, anemophilous flowers with their hairy, long stigmas and the large anthers dangling on long, thin filaments and the dry, dehiscent fruits with their characteristic anatomy “hold” the genus together. And yet, there is extreme variability within the genus in growth form (large shrubs … perennial herbs, etc.), corolla tube lengths and shapes (long and ± cylindrical … short and subcampanulate), in the sex distributions (non-dioecious, dioecious) and several other features.

Papers p 1686 Factors associated with mortality among dogs have not been extensively studied, though recent work has examined age, breed, and sex distributions of mortality.1 There has, however, been little investigation of socioeconomic differentials in pet mortality. The study by Moloo et al in this week's issue (p 1686) is therefore welcome, although the results should be interpreted with caution.2 They show that the probability of reporting the death of a pet in the past year is greater for young people from less favourable socioeconomic backgrounds than for those from more favourable backgrounds. Pet ownership may have some influence on psychological health,3 but it does not itself seem to influence mortality4 and therefore the dynamics of mortality among pet owners are likely to reflect those of the total population. In this regard the socioeconomic inequalities in mortality—shown in a wide range of populations—will be a key feature. There has been considerable research into explanations of socioeconomic differentials in mortality among humans,5 and similar categories of explanation may account for such differentials in pet mortality. The “artefact” explanation suggests that socioeconomic differentials in mortality are more apparent than real, resulting from the way data are collected and analysed. In Moloo et al's study a potential artefact is created by the fact …

Few investigators have directed their attention to comparisons of the relative efficacy of various types of reinforcement in learning research with the mentally retarded. Ellis and Pryer (1958) found no significant differences in the effectiveness of primary and secondary reinforcers in discrimination learning by retardates. Heber (1964), however, has indicated the possibility that a true secondary reinforcer was not operating in the Ellis and Pryer study because tokens were not paired with a concrete reward. Taking Heber's criticism into consideration, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the differences in the efficacy of primary, secondary, and social reinforcers in the discrimination learning of mongoloids. Thirty-six mongoloid Ss were assigned to three groups on the basis of heir mental ages. Mean CA, length of institutionalization, and sex distributions were not significantly different among the groups. Mean MA and CA for the entire sample were 3.3 yr. and 28.5 yr., respectively. Ss within each reinforcement group were randomly assigned to one of two Es. Ss in the secondary reinforcement group underwent preliminary training in which black paper (I-in. square) "tokens" were paired with MBrM chocolate candies. The primary and social reinforcement groups were presented a button-pressing task for an equivalent number of trials. A modified Wisconsin General Test Apparatus was used to present a two-choice discrimination problem, in which form was the single discriminative cue. Each S received one block of 40 trials per day for four consecutive days, i.e., a total of 160 trials. Ss in the primary reinforcement group received an immediate M&M for each correct response, while Ss in the secondary reinforcement group received a small black paper token which was traded in at the dose of each session for an M&M. Ss in the social reinforcement group received verbal approval f~om E ("good," "fine," "good boy/ girl [name]") for each correct choice. A non-correction procedure was employed throughout. Error scores were recorded for use in a Type 111 "mixed" design (Lindquist, 1953) in which Trial Blocks constituted the within.subjecrs measure.