scholarly journals Stress, sex, and plague: patterns of developmental stress and survival in pre- and post-Black Death London

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon DeWitte
Keyword(s):  
Pubertal Timing ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Black Death ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Stress Markers ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Before And After

OBJECTIVES: Previous research revealed declines in survivorship in London before the Black Death (c. 1346-1353), and improvements in survivorship following the epidemic. These trends indicate that there were declines in general levels of health before the Black Death and improvements thereof afterwards. This study expands on previous research by examining whether changes in survivorship were consistent between the sexes, and how patterns of developmental stress markers changed before and after the Black Death.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study uses samples from London cemeteries dated to one of three periods: Early Pre-Black Death (1000-1200 AD, n = 255), Late Pre-Black Death (1200-1250 AD, n = 247), or Post-Black Death (1350-1540 AD n = 329). Temporal trends in survivorship are assessed via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and trends in tibial length (as a proxy for stature) and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) are assessed using t-tests and Chi-square tests, respectively.RESULTS: Survivorship for both sexes decreased before the Black Death and increased afterwards. For males, LEH frequencies increased and stature decreased before the epidemic, and LEH declined and stature increased after the Black Death. For females, the only significant change with respect to developmental stress markers was a decrease in stature after the Black Death.CONCLUSIONS: These results might reflect variation between the sexes in sensitivity to stressors, the effects of nutrition on pubertal timing, disproportionate access to dietary resources for males in the aftermath of the Black Death, the disproportionate deaths of frail individuals during the epidemic, or some combination of these factors.

Can linear enamel hypoplasia be used as a novel welfare indicator in pigs?

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 40-40
Author(s):  
E. Genever ◽  
K. Dobney ◽  
D.M. Broom
Keyword(s):  
Stressful Life Event ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Environmental Stressors ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Welfare Indicator ◽  
Calcified Tissue ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Incremental Lines

Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) produces abnormal incremental lines or depressions in teeth enamel caused by a deficiency in the growth of calcified tissue. The depth and width of the LEH events can indicate the severity and duration of a stressful life event. LEH can be used to investigate developmental stress, as it will occur when the individual is unable to cope with environmental stressors during development, such as food shortage, pathological challenge or other stressful events. The LEH technique has been used by zoo-archaeologists to obtain information on early domestication and husbandry practices in ancient populations of pigs, where high levels of LEH have been found to correspond to birth and weaning. The objective of this work was to investigate if LEH was present in modern pigs and whether it could be used as a welfare indicator.

scholarly journals Developmental stress in South African hominins: Comparison of recurrent enamel hypoplasias in Australopithecus africanus and Homo naledi

2019 ◽  
Vol 115 (5/6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark F. Skinner
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Enamel Defects ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Anterior Teeth ◽  
Equatorial Africa ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Digital Microscope

Discovery of a new hominin (Homo naledi) in the same geographical area as Australopithecus africanus creates the opportunity to compare developmental dental stress in higher latitude hominins with low that in latitude apes, among whom repetitive linear enamel hypoplasia (rLEH) recurs seasonally at about 6 or 12 months. In contrast to equatorial Africa, a single rainy/dry cycle occurs annually in non-coastal southern Africa. It is predicted that LEH will recur annually but not differ in duration between ancient and more recent hominins. Data were collected from epoxy casts of anterior teeth attributed to H. naledi (18 incisors, 13 canines) and A. africanus (29 incisors, 8 canines) using a digital microscope, surface scanner and scanning electron microscope. The location, number, width, depth and distance between defects (including perikymata counts and spatial measurements) of 136 LEH events were compared among crown moieties (deciles 4–6 and 7–9), tooth types and taxa. Enamel defects are concentrated in the cervical half of anterior crowns, and in similar numbers in each taxon. Contrary to expectations, H. naledi show bimodal LEH durations reconstructed at about 2 and 8 weeks compared to just 4 weeks in A. africanus. Both taxa show bimodally recurrent episodes of LEH centring on 2 and, more commonly and severely, 6 months. A combination of two independent annual stressor types, one disease and one seasonal, could explain the observations. These estimations of duration and recurrence of developmental stress require evaluation using actual perikymata periodicity for H. naledi and more refined understanding of palaeoenvironments for both taxa. Significance: Seasonal stress is a central concern in the biological and health sciences. Because of the innate way that enamel is deposited, the timing of stress in the childhood of apes, modern humans and their fossil ancestors can be measured with a precision of about 1 week. Application of this method to South African Pliocene Australopithecus africanus and Mid-Pleistocene Homo naledi reveals that, unexpectedly, both forms show semi-annual stress – a finding that is tentatively attributed to two independent annual stressors, possibly disease and malnutrition.

Contemporary utilization trends of systemic chemotherapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 441-441
Author(s):  
Mohammed Haseebuddin ◽  
Elizabeth Handorf ◽  
Joshua Jones ◽  
Alexander Kutikov ◽  
Nikhil Waingankar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Stage Ii ◽  
Stage Iii ◽  
Rank Tests ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Clinicopathologic Characteristics ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
To Receive

441 Background: There is currently no consensus regarding the use of systemic therapy (ST) for surgically-treated patients with invasive UTUC. Using a large national cancer registry, our objective was to assess temporal trends in utilization of ST for stage II-IV UTUC undergoing definitive resection. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for all patients surgically treated (nephroureterectomy, segmental resection) for stage II-IV UTUC from 1998-2012. Temporal trends in receipt of ST [neoadjuvant (NAT), adjuvant (AT), or unknown timing (UKT)] were assessed using chi square analyses. After exclusion of patients receiving NAT or UKT, adjusting for patient and clinicopathologic characteristics, multivariable logistic models were used to examine the association between clinicopathologic characteristics and receipt of ST within 9 months of resection. Kaplan Meier analyses and stratified log-rank tests were performed comparing overall survival (OS) between patients receiving ST < 9 months and those who did not. Results: Of 7,629 patients identified over the study period, 24.1% of patients surgically treated for stage II-IV UTUC received any ST (NAT: 1.44%, AT: 19.11%, UKT: 3.51%). Utilization of any ST significantly increased from 1998-2012 (20.2% vs. 28.7%, p < 0.0001). Following adjustment, patients of increased age (61-70 years: OR 0.62 [CI 0.42-0.91], 71+ years: OR 0.26 [CI 0.17-0.38]) were less likely to receive ST, and patients with high grade (OR 2.46 [CI 1.95-3.09]), Stage III (OR 4.75 [CI 3.89-5.79]), and Stage IV (OR 9.37 [CI 7.49-11.74]) disease were more likely to be treated with ST. When restricted to stage III-IV disease, receipt of ST < 9 months was significantly associated with improved OS after adjustment for age, grade, and charlson index (p < 0.002). Conclusions: In hospitals reporting to the NCDB, while utilization has significantly increased from 1998-2012, less than one third of patients surgically treated for stage II-IV UTUC receive ST. In addition to unmeasured characteristics (decline of renal function following surgery), the lack of explicit guidelines and prospective evidence may contribute to limited use of systemic treatment.

scholarly journals Novas Inferências sobre o Sítio Arqueológico Içara-01 a partir da Análise dos Remanescentes Humanos

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (31) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Marina Nogueira Di Giusto ◽  
Veronica Wesolowski
Keyword(s):  
Human Remains ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Santa Catarina ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Porotic Hyperostosis ◽  
Stress Markers ◽  
Cribra Orbitalia ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia

A partir de um projeto de pesquisa que objetivou averiguar o comportamento de marcadores osteológicos em remanescentes humanos na perspectiva da longa duração no litoral sul de Santa Catarina, foram obtidos interessantesresultados para o sítio conchífero Içara-01. Foram analisados os marcadores de estresse osteológicos de Hiperostose Porótica (HP), Cribra orbitalia (CO) e Hipoplasia Linear de Esmalte (HLE) em 35 indivíduos de Içara-01 e seusresultados foram comparados com os adquiridos para indivíduos sepultados em períodos concomitantes dos sambaquis Cabeçuda e Jabuticabeira II. As autoras levantam a hipótese de que os indivíduos sepultados em Içara poderiam ser de um grupo litorâneo que utilizou o sítio como cemitério e que teria mobilidade na costa e no planalto, e não provenientes do planalto e que utilizariam Içara comoacampamento temporário, como postula a literatura. Abstract: As part of a research project that aimed to investigate the osteological markers behavior in human remains from a long-term perspective on the south coast ofSanta Catarina (Brazil), interesting results were obtained from the Içara´s conchiferous site (Içara-01). The authors analyzed osteological stress markers of Porotic Hyperostosis (HP), Cribra orbitalia (CO) and Linear Enamel Hypoplasia(LEH) in 35 individuals from Içara-01. They compared the results with those obtained for individuals buried in concomitant periods at Cabeçuda and Jabuticabeira II shellmounds. The hypothesis is that the buried individualsin Içara-01 could be members from a coastal group that used the site as a cemetery and had mobility through the coast and the highland, and not that came from the highland and used Içara-01 as a temporary camp, as the literature postulates. 

scholarly journals Enamel Hypoplasia Related to Historical Famine Stress in the Contemporary Chinese Population

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
Liming Zhou ◽  
Robert S. Corruccini
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Chinese Population ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Enamel Formation ◽  
Linear Enamel Hypoplasia ◽  
Contemporary Chinese

Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), a defect in enamel formation, has been frequently attributed to malnutrition and other physiological stress during periods of enamel development (Sarnat and Schour, 1941; Kreshover, 1960). LEH has been widely used as an indicator of developmental stress in skeletal studies among historic and prehistoric populations (Goodman et al., 1980; Corruccini et al., 1985; Goodman and Rose, 1990). A study of 3,014 subjects in 26 birth-year cohorts, samples from urban and rural communities of China, indicated that significant differences in LEH frequencies occurred between persons whose teeth developed during the famine years (1959-1961) and those whoe teeth calcified during non-famine years. This result points to a causal link between enamel hypoplasia and childhood nutritional stress at the population level, and casts some light on the magnitude and effects of the little-documented Chinese famine. 

scholarly journals A Randomized, Controlled, Parallel-Group, Trial on the Effects of Melatonin on Fatigue Associated with Breast Cancer and Its Adjuvant Treatments

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153473542098834
Author(s):  
Abdolazim Sedighi Pashaki ◽  
Kamal Mohammadian ◽  
Saeid Afshar ◽  
Mohammad Hadi Gholami ◽  
Abbas Moradi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Severe Fatigue ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Brief Fatigue Inventory ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Student’S T

Objective: Fatigue associated with malignant conditions and their treatments is a disabling condition. This trial assessed the anti-fatigue effects of melatonin coadministration during adjuvant treatment of patients with the breast cancer. Material and Methods: Patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive melatonin or placebo during adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thirty-seven patients were randomly enrolled in each group. The mean ages of patients in the intervention and control groups were 50.47 ± 10.79 and 46.05 ± 10.55 years, respectively ( P = .223). The intervention group received oral melatonin (18 mg/day) from 1 week before until 1 month after the adjuvant radiotherapy. The level of fatigue was assessed before and after intervention using Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) in both groups. To analyze data, the Student’s t-test and the Chi-square test were used at a significance level of P ≤ .05. Results: The BFI score was similar before the intervention in both groups, however, after the intervention, it was significantly lower in the melatonin group ( P < .001). Moreover, the frequency of severe fatigue in the melatonin group was significantly lower than in the placebo group after intervention (42.1% vs 83.3%, P < .001). Conclusion: Coadministration of melatonin during adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy of women with breast cancer decreased the levels of fatigue associated with the malignant condition and its treatments.

scholarly journals Twelve Years of the Italian Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 439
Author(s):  
Lidia Borghi ◽  
Elaine C. Meyer ◽  
Elena Vegni ◽  
Roberta Oteri ◽  
Paolo Almagioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Difficult Conversations ◽  
Booster Sessions ◽  
Before And After

To describe the experience of the Italian Program to Enhance Relations and Communication Skills (PERCS-Italy) for difficult healthcare conversations. PERCS-Italy has been offered in two different hospitals in Milan since 2008. Each workshop lasts 5 h, enrolls 10–15 interdisciplinary participants, and is organized around simulations and debriefing of two difficult conversations. Before and after the workshops, participants rate their preparation, communication, relational skills, confidence, and anxiety on 5-point Likert scales. Usefulness, quality, and recommendation of the program are also assessed. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, repeated-measures ANOVA, and Chi-square were performed. A total of 72 workshops have been offered, involving 830 interdisciplinary participants. Participants reported improvements in all the dimensions (p < 0.001) without differences across the two hospitals. Nurses and other professionals reported a greater improvement in preparation, communication skills, and confidence, compared to physicians and psychosocial professionals. Usefulness, quality, and recommendation of PERCS programs were highly rated, without differences by discipline. PERCS-Italy proved to be adaptable to different hospital settings, public and private. After the workshops, clinicians reported improvements in self-reported competencies when facing difficult conversations. PERCS-Italy’s sustainability is based on the flexible format combined with a solid learner-centered approach. Future directions include implementation of booster sessions to maintain learning and the assessment of behavioral changes.

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