Association of Age with Hand Grip Strength, Pinch Strength and Reaction Time in Gynaecologists and Obstetricians

According to scientific literature, evidence of relationship exists between dexterity and age. With increasing age, the performances get slower, less smooth, less coordinated and less controlled. Lesser the reaction time, better is the achievement seen sports, music, driving, academics and also in day-to-day activities. We can always predict reacting abilities of an individual based on his reaction time. In case of surgeons, this helps us to identify the surgeons with prolonged reaction time and identify the cause. Some studies suggest that there is direct relationship that exists between muscle strength and increased age. Aim: This study aimed in assessing the association of age with hand grip strength, pinch strength and reaction time in Gynaecologists and Obstetricians. Methods: This study involved 30 Gynaecologists and Obstetricians. Hand grip strength, Pinch Grip Strength and Reaction time were assessed on both dominant and non- dominant hand. Results: The result showed positive correlation of age with hand grip strength and pinch strength and negative correlation of age with reaction in Gynaecologists and Obstetricians. Conclusion: There is low association of age with hand grip strength and pinch strength, there is reduction in reaction time as age increases in Gynaecologists and Obstetricians. Key words: Age, Hand grip strength, Pinch Grip Strength, Reaction time, Gynecologists.

The Impact of Tertiary Students' Entry Characteristics and their Academic Performance

This article examines the effect of tertiary students’ entry characteristicson academic performance using the ‘value added’ approach and METPolytechnic, Ghana as a case study. The input-process–output-contextframework presented in the Global Monitoring Report (2005) by Scheerenswas used to select appropriate variables for the study. The studyfocused on three generic courses - African Studies, Communicative Skills,and Computer Literacy. Data from different sources, including secondarydata and administrative records from the Polytechnic were analysed usingmultilevel analysis. The overall effect of the selected variables was mixedand outcomes specific. For example, English language impacted positivelyon African Studies but negatively on second-semester Computer Literacy,while age and gender had a negative effect on first-semester ComputerLiteracy. Although the findings may not directly benefit analogous institutions,several lessons, including the need to create appropriate institutionaldatasets for future comparisons across institutions can be learnt. Key words: Age, gender, department context, previous achievement, SES,‘value added’.

Comparative analysis of age-related degeneration risk factors among young people from northern and southern regions

Purpose. To analyse and compare the main risk factors for macular degeneration among young people from northern and southern regions. Material and methods. The survey involved 120 students from North - West State Medical University I.I. Mechnikov and 132 from Astana Medical University, divided into 3 groups aged 17 to 25 years. For analysis, we used the «Screening Questionnaire for Determining the Risk of Age-related Macular Degeneration». Results and discussions. The study revealed the most common risk factors among young people, such as smoking, in particular, among people with hereditary predisposition and with a light color of the iris. Also, the study compares the prevalence of risk factors in northern and southern regions. Conclusions. Based on the results of the study, we should pay attention to the prevention of smoking among young people, to reduce the time spent on the computer, to inform about the need to use polarizing glasses. Key words: age-related macular degeneration, risk factors, young age, heredity, smoking, iris colour.

Androgen deficiency in patients with prostatic diseases

Negative effects of androgen deficiency in males can be avoided by regular androgen screening in patients over 50 years of age. We measured testosterone levels in 521 men aged between 18 and 93 years (mean age 60.94 years). A total of 235 patients (45.2%) were found to have age-related hypogonadism. We have developed a diagnostic algorithm for androgen deficiency at outpatient facilities. We also assessed the prevalence of prostatic diseases and a number of somatic disorders in patients with age-related hypogonadism. We have proposed a variant of medical correction of androgen deficiency. Key words: age-related hypogonadism, testosterone, prostate, screening, androgen replacement therapy

UPAYA PEDAGANG PELATARAN DI PASAR SETONO BETEK KEDIRI DALAM MENGAKSES MODAL UNTUK MENGEMBANGKAN USAHANYA

<p>This study aims to 1) Describe the characteristics of the merchants of the market in the setono betek kediri which includes age, education level, family burden and work experience dependent on the access of capital to develop their business, 2) to analyze the relationship between the characteristics of the merchant of the market in the setono betek kediri towards their capital access to develop their business .The population in this study were vegetables and food street vendors, amounting to 120 traders. The number of samples used was 55 respondents with sampling technique using Slovin formula. The analysis used is Chi Square is to see the relationship between traders characteristics with access to their capital in developing their business. The results showed that the age of traders has a relationship to access capital, this is evidenced by the value of perason chi square 0.000 &lt;0.05. The level of education of traders is also associated with capital kases with pearson chi square value 0.001 &lt;0.05. The number of dependents of family burden is related to access to capital with pearson chi square value 0.001 &lt;0.05. The work experience of traders is related to their capital access in developing the business with pearson chi square value 0.005 &lt;0.05.</p><p><br />Key words : Age, education level, family burden, work experience, street vendors</p>

Does pollen abortion increase with plant age?

The large tropical forest tree, Anacardium excelsum (Bertero & Balb. Ex Kunth) Skeels, of the family Anacardiaceae, was studied in Panama. Using Alexander’s stain, which differentiates aborted and non-aborted pollen, the proportion of aborted pollen versus plant age, size variation in aborted and non-aborted pollen and pollen:ovule ratio were estimated. Aborted pollen was smaller than non-aborted pollen regardless of plant age. The proportion of aborted pollen varied from 15.8 to 54.7% showing a steady increase with plant age, and the pollen:ovule ratio also increased with age. These results support the qualitative prediction that pollen abortion gradually increases with ageing reflecting an increase in genetic load with age. Key words: Age effect, reproductive success, tropical forest

Age, protein level and sex as factors influencing gastrocnemius muscle growth in BALB/c mice from weaning to 50 days of age

The effects of age, dietary protein level [12% (medium protein) or 20% (high protein)], and sex on muscle growth of female (f) and male (m) BALB/c mice between weaning (21 d) and 50 d of age were studied. Animals were housed individually and feed intake and body weight (BW) were recorded daily. In the total experimental period (29 d), six partial experimental periods were established. At 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 d of age, five mice of each group (MPf, MPm, HPf, HPm) were slaughtered and gastrocnemius muscle growth was studied. Based on BW and muscle weight (MW) measures, values of growth parameters were estimated. Feed consumption rate (FCR) increased in all groups, but it nearly stabilized with age in HP mice. BW, estimated muscle weight (EMW), muscle weight gain (MWG), absolute muscle protein (AMP) and muscle protein gain (MPG) increased in MP and HP mice during the experiment. Relative muscle protein (RMP) increased in MP while it decreased in HP mice with age. Also, absolute and fractional muscle weight growth rates (AWGR and FWGR, respectively) and absolute and fractional muscle protein growth rates (APGR and FPGR, respectively) decreased in all mice tested (age-dependent), except in HPf mice where it remained plateaued in time (age-independent). At 21 d the highest AWGR, FWGR, APGR, and FPGR values were registered in MP mice. Diet and sex influenced the relative allometric proportions of muscle to the organism as a whole. Muscle protein growth of MP mice versus MW growth was enhanced, resulting in an increase of growth coefficients as compared to HP mice. Also, the contribution of muscle protein to carcass protein and the efficiency of protein intake utilization were higher in MP mice than in HP mice, while efficiency of energy intake was similar in both groups. In conclusion, hyperphagia and increased efficiency of protein utilization induced a near-normal muscle growth in MP growing BALB/c mice. Key words: Age, protein level, sex, muscle growth, BALB/c mice

INFLUENCE OF AGE AND BREED ON CIRCULATING LH, FSH AND TESTOSTERONE LEVELS IN THE RAM

Possible age and breed differences in circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone in the ram were investigated. In exp. 1, blood was collected from a group of 28 rams of various ages and breeds by venepuncture from the jugular vein at 20-min intervals for an 8-h period (May). Comparison of mean serum hormone concentrations for postpubertal Finnish Landrace (Finn), Suffolk and Managra Synthetic (Line M) rams did not reveal significant (P > 0.10) breed differences. However, when rams of the three breeds were categorized by age, the mean (±SE) LH levels in lambs (n = 8), yearling (n = 12) and adult (n = 8) animals were 2.1 ± 0.4, 1.1 ± 0.2 and 0.5 ± 0.1 ng/mL, respectively; the significant decrease (P < 0.05) in LH levels in adult vs. yearling rams was due to fewer and smaller LH releases. Mean testosterone levels averaged 1.3 ± 0.2, 2.8 ± 0.4 and 2.4 ± 0.3 ng/mL for the lamb, yearling and adult ram groups, respectively. FSH levels were similar for all age groups. In exp. 2, a series of blood samples were collected from 3-mo-old Finn (n = 6) and Suffolk/Line-M crossbred (n = 6) rams in October. In comparison with crossbred rams, rams of the more prolific Finn breed exhibited substantially higher mean levels of LH (1.0 ± 0.2 vs. 0.4 ± 0.2 ng/mL; P < 0.10), FSH (250 ± 26 vs. 121 ± 16 ng/mL; P < 0.01) and testosterone (2.8 ± 0.9 vs. 0.4 ± 0.1 ng/mL; P < 0.05); higher LH and testosterone in Finn rams were associated with larger and/or more frequent elevations in the level of these hormones during the 8-h bleeding period. Results of this study seem to indicate (1) age-associated differences in the pattern of LH release in adult rams in the spring; and (2) that breed differences in blood reproductive hormone levels in postpubertal rams are not significant in the spring, but levels in 3-mo-old rams differ during the fall months according to genotype. Key words: Age, breed, gonadotropins, testosterone, serum, ram

New Information on the Longevity of Pacific Ocean Perch (Sebastes alutus)

A comparison of ages determined from surfaces of otoliths and from sections of otoliths showed that ages were similar up to a section age of 22–24 yr. The growth pattern observed on thin sections of otoliths and from broken and burned otoliths from the region of the nucleus was interpreted to indicate that Pacific ocean perch probably live much longer than previously thought. Because the criteria used to identify annuli from otoliths sections appeared valid for younger fish, there was no justification to reject the application of these criteria for estimating ages of older fish and thus no reason to reject the possibility that Pacific ocean perch might live to be older than 70 yr. Ages determined from sections of otoliths from other rockfish species found off the west coast of Canada such as Sebastes fiavidus and Sebastes brevispinis have ranged from 30 to 60 yr indicating that many species of rockfish may live longer than previously thought. Key words: age determination, otolith, maximum age, age determination errors, Pacific ocean perch, otolith sections

Differences in the Age of Pacific Hake (Merluccius productus) Using Whole Otoliths and Sections of Otoliths

Ages determined for older Pacific hake from sections through the nucleus of otoliths were older than the ages determined from the otolith surface for the two populations studied. Growth of all parts of the otolith was not identical throughout the life of the fish. The change in the pattern of otolith growth occurred about the age at which the growth in length of the fish was reduced. Despite the disproportionate growth in length and height of the otolith, the thickness of the otolith, especially in the ventral interior portion, continued to increase with age. Section ages appear to be more reliable for older fish because of this allometric change in otolith growth with increasing fish age. It is suggested that the examination of sections of otoliths should become a routine approach in any attempt to age fish using otoliths. Key words: age determination, otolith, otolith section, otolith growth, aging errors, Pacific hake, Strait of Georgia