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"Body Constitution"
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The biggest animals in the world
\"Introduces readers to some of the world's biggest animals. It will explore the creatures' basic biology and appearance, their place in their ecosystems, and the ways in which their large natures affect their lives\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Invited review: Body condition score and its association with dairy cow productivity, health, and welfare
The body condition score (BCS) of a dairy cow is an assessment of the proportion of body fat that it possesses, and it is recognized by animal scientists and producers as being an important factor in dairy cattle management. The scale used to measure BCS differs between countries, but low values always reflect emaciation and high values equate to obesity. The intercalving profile of BCS is a mirror image of the milk lactation profile. Cows lose condition for 50 to 100 d postcalving, because of homeorhetic changes that occur in the somatotropic axis and the sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin, and the upregulation of lipolytic pathways in adipose tissue. Management and feeding have little effect on early postcalving BCS loss (wk 1 to 4 postcalving) until the natural period of insulin resistance has passed and the somatotropic axis has recoupled. There is evidence, however, that management and diet can influence the timing of recoupling of the somatotropic axis and the sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin, and gene expression differences in adipose tissue 30 d in milk confirm an effect of energy intake on lipogenic enzymes. The BCS in which a cow calves, nadir BCS, and the amount of BCS she loses postcalving are associated with milk production, reproduction, and health. Body condition score may also be a valid indicator of animal welfare, but further research is required to determine the effect of BCS and BCS change on how a cow “feels.” Although the actual strength of the association may vary, there is relative consistency in the associations among calving and nadir BCS, and BCS change on milk production, postpartum anestrous, the likelihood of a successful pregnancy and days open, the risk of uterine infection, and the risk of metabolic disorders. For many production and health variables, the association with BCS is nonlinear, with an optimum calving BCS of 3.0 to 3.25 (5-point scale); lower calving BCS is associated with reduced production and reproduction, whereas calving BCS ≥3.5 (5-point scale) is associated with a reduction in early lactation dry matter intake and milk production and an increased risk of metabolic disorders. Ongoing research into the automation of body condition scoring suggests that it is a likely candidate to be incorporated into decision support systems in the near future to aid producers in making operational and tactical decisions.
Journal Article
Chubby Bunny
Barbara \"Bunny\" Binks comes from a long line of Barbaras, that started with her mother and grandmother. She loves putting her hair up in \"bunny buns,\" playing with her rabbit Ralph, and eating marshmallows. Then one day, she participates in her favorite marshmallow eating contest at field day called \"Chubby Bunny,\" and her classmates start teasing her. But with a little help from her grandma Barbara, Bunny figures out a very sweet solution.
Book
Exploration of Constitutional Bias and Associated Factors in Patients with Recurrent and Metastatic Gastric Cancer, and the Therapeutic Effect of Yiqi Wenyang Jiedu Prescription: A one-arm study
Objective:
This study was conducted to elucidate the distribution characteristics of predominant unbalanced constitutions and TCM syndrome elements in patients with recurrent and metastatic gastric cancer. This study was also undertaken to analyze the potential relationship between the body constitutions of patients, syndrome elements, and biological indicators, as well as to investigate the effect of Yiqi Wenyang Jiedu prescription (YWJP) on symptoms and biological indicators before and after treatment.
Result:
Yang-deficiency and Qi-deficiency were identified as prevalent imbalanced constitutions among patients with recurrent and metastatic gastric cancer. The primary syndrome factors associated with disease localization included the spleen-stomach and liver, with the main syndrome elements being Qi-deficiency, Yang-deficiency, and Qi-stagnation. Patients with Qi-deficiency and Yang-deficiency constitutions exhibited lower BMI and higher monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR). A notable positive correlation was observed between cold (Yang-deficiency) and BMI, as well as between Qi-deficiency constitution and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Furthermore, YWJP demonstrated efficacy in alleviating symptoms associated with Qi-deficiency and Yang-deficiency in patients with recurrent and metastatic gastric cancer, including dyspnea, fatigue, diaphoresis, cold intolerance, abdominal sounds, postural changes, and abdominal distension.
Discussion:
Yang-deficiency and Qi-deficiency emerged as prevalent constitutional patterns in patients with recurrent and metastatic gastric cancer. Notably, BMI, MLR, and NLR may serve as physiological indicators of these conditions. Furthermore, YWJP treatment demonstrated potential efficacy in alleviating symptoms associated with Qi-deficiency and Yang-deficiency in this patient population.
Clinical Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2200055826.
Journal Article
Constraint, natural selection, and the evolution of human body form
Variation in body form among human groups is structured by a blend of natural selection driven by local climatic conditions and random genetic drift. However, attempts to test ecogeographic hypotheses have not distinguished between adaptive traits (i.e., those that evolved as a result of selection) and those that evolved as a correlated response to selection on other traits (i.e., nonadaptive traits), complicating our understanding of the relationship between climate and morphological distinctions among populations. Here, we use evolutionary quantitative methods to test if traits previously identified as supporting ecogeographic hypotheses were actually adaptive by estimating the force of selection on individual traits needed to drive among-group differentiation. Our results show that not all associations between trait means and latitude were caused by selection acting directly on each individual trait. Although radial and tibial length and biiliac and femoral head breadth show signs of responses to directional selection matching ecogeographic hypotheses, the femur was subject to little or no directional selection despite having shorter values by latitude. Additionally, in contradiction to ecogeographic hypotheses, the humerus was under directional selection for longer values by latitude. Responses to directional selection in the tibia and radius induced a nonadaptive correlated response in the humerus that overwhelmed its own trait-specific response to selection. This result emphasizes that mean differences between groups are not good indicators of which traits are adaptations in the absence of information about covariation among characteristics.
Journal Article
The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ): a study of concurrent and construct validity
The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed to measure health-related physical activity (PA) in populations. The short version of the IPAQ has been tested extensively and is now used in many international studies. The present study aimed to explore the validity characteristics of the long-version IPAQ.
Forty-six voluntary healthy male and female subjects (age, mean +/- standard deviation: 40.7 +/- 10.3 years) participated in the study. PA indicators derived from the long, self-administered IPAQ were compared with data from an activity monitor and a PA log book for concurrent validity, and with aerobic fitness, body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat for construct validity.
Strong positive relationships were observed between the activity monitor data and the IPAQ data for total PA (rho = 0.55, P < 0.001) and vigorous PA (rho = 0.71, P < 0.001), but a weaker relationship for moderate PA (rho = 0.21, P = 0.051). Calculated MET-h day(-1) from the PA log book was significantly correlated with MET-h day(-1) from the IPAQ (rho = 0.67, P < 0.001). A weak correlation was observed between IPAQ data for total PA and both aerobic fitness (rho = 0.21, P = 0.051) and BMI (rho = 0.25, P = 0.009). No significant correlation was observed between percentage body fat and IPAQ variables. Bland-Altman analysis suggested that the inability of activity monitors to detect certain types of activities might introduce a source of error in criterion validation studies.
The long, self-administered IPAQ questionnaire has acceptable validity when assessing levels and patterns of PA in healthy adults.
Journal Article
Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci for Body Composition and Structural Soundness Traits in Pigs
The recent completion of the swine genome sequencing project and development of a high density porcine SNP array has made genome-wide association (GWA) studies feasible in pigs.
Using Illumina's PorcineSNP60 BeadChip, we performed a pilot GWA study in 820 commercial female pigs phenotyped for backfat, loin muscle area, body conformation in addition to feet and leg (FL) structural soundness traits. A total of 51,385 SNPs were jointly fitted using Bayesian techniques as random effects in a mixture model that assumed a known large proportion (99.5%) of SNPs had zero effect. SNP annotations were implemented through the Sus scrofa Build 9 available from pig Ensembl. We discovered a number of candidate chromosomal regions, and some of them corresponded to QTL regions previously reported. We not only have identified some well-known candidate genes for the traits of interest, such as MC4R (for backfat) and IGF2 (for loin muscle area), but also obtained novel promising genes, including CHCHD3 (for backfat), BMP2 (for loin muscle area, body size and several FL structure traits), and some HOXA family genes (for overall leg action). The candidate regions responsible for body conformation and FL structure soundness did not overlap greatly which implied that these traits were controlled by different genes. Functional clustering analyses classified the genes into categories related to bone and cartilage development, muscle growth and development or the insulin pathway suggesting the traits are regulated by common pathways or gene networks that exert roles at different spatial and temporal stages.
This study is one of the earliest GWA reports on important quantitative traits in pigs, and the findings will contribute to the further biological function analysis of the identified candidate genes and potential utilization of them in marker assisted selection.
Journal Article
A study of central fatness using waist-to-height ratios in UK children and adolescents over two decades supports the simple message – ‘keep your waist circumference to less than half your height’
Objective:
To examine the influence of age and gender on the waist:height ratio (WHTR) in children and to compare changes over time in WHTR, a measure of central fatness in British children.
Design:
Representative cross-sectional surveys in 1977, 1987 and 1997.
Setting:
Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Participants:
Survey 1: children aged 5–16 years measured in 1977 (boys) and 1987 (girls) (BSI,
n
=8135) and Survey 2: children aged 11–16 measured in 1997 (NDNS,
n
=773).
Outcome measures:
From Survey 1, waist: height ratio related to age and sex and the proportion of children with a WHTR greater than 0.500 (a boundary value suggested for adults). From Survey 2, comparison of WHTR in children with that from Survey 1 and the actual proportion of children with a WHTR greater than 0.500 compared with the expected proportion using the survey 1 as reference.
Results:
WHTR decreased with age (
P
<0.01 for trend), with the mean WHTR being significantly lower in girls (
P
<0.01). WHTR was significantly greater in children in Survey 2 compared with those measured 10 and 20 years earlier in Survey 1 (
P
<0.0001). The proportion of children where WHTR exceeded the 0.500 boundary value in Survey 2 was 17% of boys and 11.7% of girls (against 5.0 and 1.5%, respectively, in Survey 1,
P
<0.0001). The increase in WHTR in boys exceeded that in girls.
Conclusions:
Values of WHTR during the past 10–20 years have increased greatly showing that central fatness in children has risen dramatically. WHTR is more closely linked to childhood morbidity than body mass index (BMI) and we suggest it should be used as an additional or alternative measure to BMI in children as well as adults. A simple public health message that is the same for adults and children of both sexes and all ages could be stated as ‘keep your waist circumference to less than half your height’.
Journal Article
Lean birds in the city: body size and condition of house sparrows along the urbanization gradient
1. Urbanized habitats differ from natural ones in several ecological features, including climate, food availability, strength of predation and competition. Although the effects of urbanization on avian community composition are well known, there is much less information about how individual birds are affected by these human-generated habitat differences. 2. In this study we investigated the relationships between the morphological characteristics and the degree of habitat urbanization in house sparrows, Passer domesticus (Linne 1758) . We collected data for more than 1000 non-breeding adult birds in Hungary between 1997 and 2006, from seven sites including farmlands, suburban areas and city centres. 3. We found that the body mass, tarsus length and body condition of free-living sparrows differed among the sites: birds in more urbanized habitats were consistently smaller and in worse condition than birds in more rural habitats. A composite measure of habitat urbanization (based on building density, road density and vegetation cover) explained over 75% of variance between sites in the studied traits, after we controlled for the effects of sex, year, season and time of capture. 4. The difference in body mass between rural and urban sparrows was significant when birds were kept in aviaries under identical conditions, with constant ad libitum food availability. It is therefore unlikely that the reduced body size and condition of urban sparrows are a consequence of reduced access to food for adults (e.g. due to strong competition), or their short-term responses to high food predictability (e.g. by strategic mass regulation). 5. We suggest that habitat differences in nestling development or adaptive divergence of sparrow populations due to distinct environmental conditions (such as differing predation pressure) may account for the differences along the urbanization gradient.
Journal Article
Investigating the Relationship Between Body Constitution as Defined Under Traditional Chinese Medicine and Vertigo in Women in Taiwan
Background:
Despite its status as a prevalent clinical concern, vertigo lacks an effective treatment, especially one that addresses the factors commonly associated with women affected by this condition.
Purpose:
This study was designed to clarify the relationship between Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitution (Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Phlegm stasis) and vertigo in adult women.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,423 women enrolled in the Taiwan Biobank between 2012 and 2017. The participants completed the 44-question Body Constitution Questionnaire (BCQ), developed in Taiwan, to assess their body constitution. To investigate the relationship between body constitution and vertigo prevalence, a stepwise-forward multiple-regression analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of three specific body constitutions (Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Phlegm stasis) on the risk of contracting vertigo.
Results:
Nearly one out of 10 (9.0%) participants had experienced vertigo, with an average onset age of 56.23 years, with vertigo sufferers showing a significantly higher mean BCQ score compared to those who had not experienced vertigo (Yang deficiency: adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]=1.033, Yin deficiency: aOR=1.049, and Phlegm stasis: aOR=1.041). Age, having migraines, and having endometrial polyps were identified as factors influencing the risk of experiencing vertigo.
Conclusions/Implications for Practice:
Unbalanced constitution types were independently associated with a higher risk of vertigo in women, alongside age, migraine, and endometrial polyps. These findings suggest that the constitution serves as an important underlying susceptibility factor. Incorporating constitution assessment into routine health evaluation may facilitate earlier identification of at-risk women and provide a foundation for preventive or constitution-balancing strategies in clinical care.
Journal Article