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Background: Cambodia, as a developing country, is classified as a poor country; however, in recent years, rapid economic development has been seen in urban areas and the regional differences between the rich and the poor have been increasing. In addition, school meals have been adopted on a trial basis in rural areas, and efforts are being made to support growth and development in childhood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences in residential area and school meals availability have an effect on the body size and composition of schoolchildren. Methods: The subjects were 3,198 schoolchildren (1,638 boys and 1,560 girls) aged 6 to 11 years old and height, weight, and body composition measurements were taken as a cross-sectional study once a year during the period from 2017 to 2020. Differences among age and schools in residential areas were analyzed via two-way ANOVA (P<0.05). Results: The results of the present work showed that height, weight, and body mass index were clearly higher in urban schools compared to rural schools (P<0.001). In terms of body composition, muscle mass and fat-free mass index (P<0.001) were higher in urban schools than in rural schools and body fat percentage and fat mass index (P<0.001) were 1.5 to 2 times higher in urban schools. On the other hand, in rural areas, fat-free body mass index values were significantly higher in schools with school meal programs (P=0.001). Conclusion: The results shed light on the need for health education not only in terms of undernutrition, but also in terms of overnutrition in Cambodian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to clarify the standard values of body composition for Japanese preschool and postschool-age children according to age and gender. Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study comprised 4,289 children (2,183 boys and 2,106 girls) aged 3 to 10 years and they were assessed during the period of 2003-2018. Anthropometric variables and body composition were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. The cut-off points for body mass index (BMI) calculated using Cole's LMS method were set at the 25th and 75th percentile values for age and sex to provide a reference model for Japanese children. Differences among age and sex groups were analyzed by two-way ANOVA (P<0.05). Results: Height and weight increased significantly with age irrespective of sex. BMI component showed a higher fat-free mass index (FFMI) in boys and a higher fat mass index (FMI) in girls with transition from early childhood. These features were more pronounced when expressed in terms of quantity (fat mass or fat-free mass, kg), but the same result was obtained when expressed as an index (FMI or FFMI, kg/m²). Conclusion: Based on subjects from a large data set, this study established age- and sex-related body composition standards for Japanese before- and after-school children. There were also clear gender and age differences in body composition at this age. The results of this study will serve as basic data for various future pediatric studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give criteria for cuspidal butter ies and cuspidal S-1 (cS-1 ) singularities in terms of theWeierstrass data for maximal surfaces, and also show non- existence of cuspidal S+1 (cS+1 ) singularities on maximal surfaces. Moreover, we show duality between these singularities considering the conjugate maximal surfaces each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quantitative analysis of echo intensity (EI) is a reliable method for discriminating between normal and neuromuscular disease-affected muscles in children. However, the effects of increased skeletal muscle fat mass and total body fat mass in healthy preschool children are yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to compare the EI of skeletal muscles and local fat accumulation in healthy preschool children by gender and body shape using ultrasonography. Methods: Three- to six-year-old children (145 boys and 122 girls) without any known neuromuscular disorder were included in this cross-sectional research, during the period of 2015 to 2018 in Miyazaki prefecture, Japan. Anthropometry, body composition, and EI of the biceps brachii muscle (BB) and quadriceps femoris (RF) muscle were measured by ultrasonography. Differences in anthropometric measurements and body composition divided by two types of criteria using age and sex-specific percentiles were analyzed using two-way ANOVA (P<0.05). Results: EI at the BB of overweight children (above 90th percentile) was 9.82±3.76 for boys and 10.87±3.69 for girls. EI at the BB of normal children (10th-90th percentile) was 6.02±2.62 for boys and 6.53±2.92 for girls. EI at the BB of thin children (below 10th percentile) was 5.61±2.17 for boys and 6.52±3.49 for girls. EI at the BB of overweight children is higher than normal and thin children (P<0.001). EI at the RF of overweight children (above 90th percentile) was 16.97±5.12 for boys and 18.84±3.41 for girls. EI at the RF of normal children (10th-90th percentile) was 15.32±4.55 for boys and 16.20±3.98 for girls. EI at the RF of thin children (below 10th percentile) was 14.94±3.90 for boys and 14.58±4.94 for girls. EI at the RF of overweight children is higher than normal and thin children (P=0.024). These results were also similar for the groups created using the 25th and 75th percentiles, with the above 75th percentile group showing clearly higher values of EI. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the accumulation of adipose tissue within skeletal muscle varies with the degree of obesity. It seems reasonable to conclude that an extreme increase in body fat might be linked to higher visceral and skeletal muscle fat (ectopic fat content). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Alport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary, progressive nephritis caused bymutation of type IV collagen. Previous studies have shown that activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) exacerbates other renal diseases, but whether STAT3 activation exacerbates AS pathology is still unknown. Here we aim to investigate the involvement of STAT3 in the progression of AS. Method. Phosphorylated STAT3 expression was assessed by immunoblotting analysis of kidneys and glomeruli of an AS mouse model (Col4a5 G5X mutant). To determine the effect of blocking STAT3 signaling, we treated AS mice with the STAT3 inhibitor stattic (10mg/kg i.p., three times per week for 10 weeks; n = 10). We assessed the renal function [proteinuria, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine] and analyzed the glomerular injury score, fibrosis and inflammatory cell invasion by histological staining. Moreover, we analyzed the gene expression of nephritis-associated molecules. Results. Phosphorylated STAT3 was upregulated in AS kidneys and glomeruli. Treatment with stattic ameliorated the progressive renal dysfunction, such as increased levels of proteinuria, BUN and serum creatinine. Stattic also significantly suppressed the gene expression levels of renal injury markers (Lcn2, Kim-1), pro-inflammatory cytokines (Il-6, KC), pro-fibrotic genes (Tgf-β, Col1a1, α-Sma) and Mmp9. Stattic treatment decreased the renal fibrosis congruently with the decrease of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) protein and increase of antifibrosisassociated markers p-Smad1, 5 and 8, which are negative regulators of TGF-β signaling. Conclusion. STAT3 inhibition significantly ameliorated the renal dysfunction in AS mice. Our finding identifies STAT3 as an important regulator in AS progression and provides a promising therapeutic target for AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]