The Relation of Ultraviolet Radiation and Multiple Sclerosis in Newfoundland

Background:It has been thought that the occurrence of multiple sclerosis (MS) could be associated with daily ultraviolet exposure. In this study we investigated the geospatial association between average daily ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiance and MS prevalence in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada.Methods:A complete list of patients diagnosed with MS in the province of NL was constructed. Places of habitation from birth to diagnosis were ascertained by mailout survey.Results:A 74% rate of return on the survey results was obtained. A plot of the average daily erythemal UV over the available five years (1998-2002) shows that the distribution of MS follow a north-south gradient. Average daily UVB measurements are lower in the higher latitudes. A statistically significant negative correlation of MS incidence with erythemal UVB was found that is stronger than the correlation using latitude. This correlation appears to be strongest in the first year of life and declines when subsequent years are examined up to age ten. No significant correlation was found for the subjects' locale of habitation at the time of their first MS attack.Conclusions:This study suggests that UVB radiation may contribute to the pathogenesis of MS.

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The relation between menarche and the age of first symptoms in a multiple sclerosis cohort

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1191/135248506ms1267oa ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 333-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

J S Sloka ◽

W EM Pryse-Phillips ◽

M Stefanelli

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Newfoundland And Labrador ◽

Chart Review ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

Rate Of Return ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Relapsing Remitting ◽

Survey Results ◽

One Year ◽

Age Of Menarche

Background Previously, multiple sclerosis (MS) has been thought to be associated with changes in hormone levels. This study investigates the association between the age of menarche and the age of onset of the first symptoms of MS. Methods A complete list of patients diagnosed with MS in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador was constructed. The age of menarche for our entire relapsing remitting female MS (RRMS) population was requested by mailout survey. Age of symptom onset was ascertained by chart review. Results A 74% rate of return on the survey results was obtained (150 RRMS patients). A linear regression model demonstrated that the age of first symptoms increased by 1.16 years as the age of menarche increased by one year (R2=0.69, P=0.04). Another analysis showed that the average age of first symptoms for women with reported menarche from 10 to 12 years was 28.96 years compared with 31.83 years for a reported menarche from 13 to 15 years, a significant difference ( P=0.047, t-test). Conclusions This study suggests that menarche may be related to the pathogenesis of MS.

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140 Endocrine Profiling in Prepubertal Stallions with Abnormal Testicular Development

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv30n1ab140 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 210

Author(s):

D. Scarlet ◽

J. Kuhl ◽

M. Wulf ◽

N. Ille ◽

M. Köhne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Early Stage ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Testicular Volume ◽

First Year ◽

Testicular Development ◽

Testicular Morphology ◽

First Year Of Life ◽

Lh Secretion

The use of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as a biomarker for assessment of male gonadal activity has become increasingly widespread. Aberrant AMH concentration successfully detects cryptorchids or pathologic testes in postpubertal stallions, but the ability to use AMH to identify stallions with testicular pathologies during their prepubertal life has not been analysed so far. The objectives of this work were to (1) assess AMH, testosterone, LH, and FSH dynamics in male horses with or without testicular pathologies during the first year of life; and (2) find a reliable diagnostic approach that would enable the identification of animals that will develop abnormal testes at an early stage. Warmblood colts (n = 16) born from February to May on the same stud farm were used. Blood samples for hormone determinations were collected from birth onwards every 4 weeks until the age of 1 year. At 2 years, testicular development was assessed, total testicular volume calculated. and a blood sample collected. Concentrations of AMH, testosterone, LH, and FSH were determined in all samples; AMH (AL-115, Ansh Laboratories, Webster, TX, USA) and testosterone (DE1559, Demeditec, Kiel-Wellsee, Germany) concentrations were determined by ELISA, whereas LH and FSH concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Statistical analysis (SPSS Statistics 24; IBM/SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA) was performed by ANOVA using a general linear model for repeated measures. In 2 stallions, unilateral cryptorchism, and in other 4 stallions, subnormal total testicular volume (<mean minus SD) were diagnosed at 2 years. Concentrations of AMH, testosterone, and FSH changed over time (P < 0.001) but were similar (P > 0.05) within the first year of life irrespective of testicular morphology and location. Concentration of LH at birth was lower (P = 0.05) in stallions with abnormal testes (0.3 ± 0.2 ng mL−1) than in controls (0.6 ± 0.2 ng mL−1), but did not differ thereafter. At 2 years of age, AMH concentration was higher (P < 0.01) in stallions with abnormal testes (39.7 ± 12.7 ng mL−1) than in controls (8.0 ± 0.2 ng mL−1), but no group differences with regard to LH, FSH, and testosterone existed. There was a low but significant negative correlation between AMH and FSH (P < 0.001, r = –0.24), as well as between AMH and LH (P < 0.05, r = –0.15). Also, testosterone concentration was positively correlated with FSH (P < 0.05, r = 0.18) and LH (P < 0.05, r = 0.16) concentrations. In conclusion, AMH determination can be reliably used from 2 years onwards to identify stallions with abnormal testicular development, but it is inconclusive before puberty. We concluded that LH secretion in the perinatal period is involved in testicular development and descent in the horse.

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The Development of Swallowing Respiratory Coordination

Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) ◽

10.1044/sasd18.1.19 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 19-24

Author(s):

Maggie-Lee Huckabee

Keyword(s):

Cortical Activation ◽

First Year ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Nasal Airflow ◽

Single Session ◽

Primary Finding ◽

Patterns Of Behavior ◽

Cortical Modulation ◽

First Year Of Life ◽

Swallowing Apnea

Abstract Research exists that evaluates the mechanics of swallowing respiratory coordination in healthy children and adults as well and individuals with swallowing impairment. The research program summarized in this article represents a systematic examination of swallowing respiratory coordination across the lifespan as a means of behaviorally investigating mechanisms of cortical modulation. Using time-locked recordings of submental surface electromyography, nasal airflow, and thyroid acoustics, three conditions of swallowing were evaluated in 20 adults in a single session and 10 infants in 10 sessions across the first year of life. The three swallowing conditions were selected to represent a continuum of volitional through nonvolitional swallowing control on the basis of a decreasing level of cortical activation. Our primary finding is that, across the lifespan, brainstem control strongly dictates the duration of swallowing apnea and is heavily involved in organizing the integration of swallowing and respiration, even in very early infancy. However, there is evidence that cortical modulation increases across the first 12 months of life to approximate more adult-like patterns of behavior. This modulation influences primarily conditions of volitional swallowing; sleep and naïve swallows appear to not be easily adapted by cortical regulation. Thus, it is attention, not arousal that engages cortical mechanisms.

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