Changing trends in sex specific prevalence rates for childhood asthma, eczema, and hay fever

Abstract

The Ceprano calvarium represents one of the most important sources of information about both the dynamics of the earliest hominid dispersal toward Europe and the evolution of the genus Homo in the early‐to‐middle Pleistocene. In this paper, the midsagittal vault profile and the 3D frontal bone morphology of Ceprano are investigated comparatively, using landmark coordinates and Procrustes superimposition. In fact, despite the fact that the skull appears partially distorted by diagenetic pressures (thus precluding a comprehensive landmark‐based analysis), some aspects of the overall morphology are suitable for consideration in terms of geometric morphometrics. The midsagittal profile shows an archaic shape, comparable with the H. ergaster/erectus range of variation because of the fronto‐parietal flattening, the development of the supraorbital and nuchal structures, and the occurrence of a slightly larger occipital bone. By contrast, the frontal bone displays a derived 3D shape that, mostly because of the widening of the frontal squama, appears comparable with the Afro‐European variation of the Middle Pleistocene (i.e., H. heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis). Taking into account the unique morphological pattern displayed by Ceprano, its role as a link between early Homo and the Middle Pleistocene populations of Europe and Africa is not falsified. Thus, when aspects of the Ceprano's morphology are described within the analytical framework provided by geometric morphometrics, the relationships between Ceprano and the subsequent Afro‐European fossil record are emphasized, suggesting the occurrence of an ancestral stock of H. heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis that is properly represented by the Italian specimen. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Gender differences in asthma development and remission during transition through puberty: The TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) study

“…10 Between the ages of 9 and 11 years, the difference in the prevalence of asthma between boys and girls disappeared. 39 In agreement with these results, we found no difference in the prevalence of asthma between boys and girls at a mean age of 11.1 years. Nicolai et al 3 followed up adolescents with asthma from the age of 10 years until 14 years.…”

Prevalence trends of rhinoconjunctivitis, eczema, and atopic asthma in Greek schoolchildren: Four surveys during 1991‐2008

“…15 The few studies that have focused on the separate contributions of atopic versus nonatopic asthma on prevalence time trends have reached conflicting conclusions. [22][23][24] In addition, the Phase II ISAAC study showed that the link between atopic sensitization and asthma symptoms differs strongly between populations and increases with economic development. 25 Regarding the influence of sex on the prevalence of childhood asthma, early studies reported a male/female ratio of ϳ2:1.…”

Tendência temporal de asma em crianças e adolescentes no Brasil no período de 1998 a 2008

“…A study conducted with students in 1984,1994,1999 and 2004 by Osman et al 14 found higher prevalences and time trends of asthma in males. In children, the highest prevalences of asthma in males, when compared to females, can be explained by physiological disadvantages.…”