@article{SanderScheffler2016, author = {Sander, Martha Maria and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Bilateral asymmetry in left handers increased concerning morphological laterality in a recent sample of young adults}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\~A}¼r Anthropologie}, volume = {73}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\~A}¼r Anthropologie}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2016/0663}, pages = {335 -- 342}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @article{MummHermanussenScheffler2016, author = {Mumm, Rebekka and Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {voice break as the marker of biological age}, series = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, volume = {105}, journal = {Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0803-5253}, doi = {10.1111/apa.13488}, pages = {e459 -- e463}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Aim: We aimed to develop the first references for body height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) for boys based on the individual developmental tempo with respect to their voice break status. Methods: We re-analysed data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS study) on body height, body weight and body mass index based on the voice break, or mutation, in 3956 boys aged 10-17 years. We used the LMS method to construct smoothed references centiles for the studied variables in premutational, mutational and postmutational boys. Results: Body height, body weight and BMI differed significantly (p < 0.001) between the different stages of voice break. On average, boys were 5.9 cm taller, 5.8 kg heavier and had a 0.7 kg/m(2) higher BMI with every higher stage of voice break. Currently used growth references for chronological age in comparison with maturity-related references led to an average of 5.4\% of boys being falsely classified as overweight.}, language = {en} } @article{LehmannScheffler2016, author = {Lehmann, Andreas and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {What does the mean menarcheal age mean?An analysis of temporal pattern in variability in a historical swiss population from the 19th and 20th centuries}, series = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, volume = {28}, journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1042-0533}, doi = {10.1002/ajhb.22854}, pages = {705 -- 713}, year = {2016}, abstract = {ObjectivesAge at menarche is one of the most important factors when observing growth and development. The aim of this study was to assess the temporal pattern in variability of menarcheal age for a historic Swiss population from the 19th and 20th centuries. ResultsMean menarcheal age declined from 17.34 years (n=358) around 1830 to 13.80 years (n=141) around 1950. Within-cohort variance decreased from 7.5 to 2.1 year(2). Skewness was negatively correlated with birth year (r=-0.58). ConclusionThis study provided evidence for a secular trend in various statistical parameters for age at menarche since the 19th century. Furthermore, the results of the analysis of temporal pattern in variability revealed that the secular trend in menarcheal age happened in two phases. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:705-713, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, language = {en} } @article{HermanussenScheffler2016, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Scheffler, Christiane}, title = {Stature signals status: The association of stature, status and perceived dominance - a thought experiment}, series = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\~A}¼r Anthropologie}, volume = {73}, journal = {Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft f{\~A}¼r Anthropologie}, publisher = {Schweizerbart}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0003-5548}, doi = {10.1127/anthranz/2016/0698}, pages = {265 -- 274}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background: There is a common perception that tall stature results in social dominance. Evidence in meerkats suggests that social dominance itself may be a strong stimulus for growth. Relative size serves as the signal for individuals to induce strategic growth adjustments. Aim: We construct a thought experiment to explore the potential consequences of the question: is stature a social signal also in humans? We hypothesize that (1) upward trends in height in the lower social strata are perceived as social challenges yielding similar though attenuated upward trends in the dominant strata, and that (2) democratization, but also periods of political turmoil that facilitate upward mobility of the lower strata, are accompanied by upward trends in height. Material and methods: We reanalyzed large sets of height data of European conscripts born between 1856-1860 and 1976-1980; and annual data of German military conscripts, born between 1965 and 1985, with information on height and school education. Results: Taller stature is associated with higher socioeconomic status. Historic populations show larger height differences between social strata that tend to diminish in the more recent populations. German height data suggest that both democratization, and periods of political turmoil facilitating upward mobility of the lower social strata are accompanied by a general upward height spiral that captures the whole population. Discussion: We consider stature as a signal. Nutrition, health, general living conditions and care giving are essential prerequisites for growth, yet not to maximize stature, but to allow for its function as a lifelong social signal. Considering stature as a social signal provides an elegant explanation of the rapid height adjustments observed in migrants, of the hitherto unexplained clustering of body height in modern and historic cohorts of military conscripts, and of the parallelism between changes in political conditions, and secular trends in adult human height since the 19th century.}, language = {en} } @misc{HermanussenIpsenMummetal.2016, author = {Hermanussen, Michael and Ipsen, Josefin and Mumm, Rebekka and Assmann, Christian and Quitmann, Julia and Gomula, Aleksandra and Lehmann, Andreas and Jasch, Isabelle and Tassenaar, Vincent and Bogin, Barry and Satake, Takashi and Scheffler, Christiane and Nunez, Javier and Godina, Elena and Hardeland, Ruediger and Boldsen, Jesper L. and El-Shabrawi, Mortada and Elhusseini, Mona and Barbu, Carmen Gabriela and Pop, Ralucca and Soederhaell, Jani and Merker, Andrea and Swanson, James and Groth, Detlef}, title = {Stunted Growth. Proceedings of the 23rd Aschauer Soiree, Held at Aschauhof, Germany, November 7th 2015}, series = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, volume = {13}, journal = {Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews}, publisher = {Medical Media}, address = {Netanya}, issn = {1565-4753}, pages = {756 -- 767}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Twenty-four scientists met at Aschauhof, Altenhof, Germany, to discuss the associations between child growth and development, and nutrition, health, environment and psychology. Meta-analyses of body height, height variability and household inequality, in historic and modern growth studies published since 1794, highlighting the enormously flexible patterns of child and adolescent height and weight increments throughout history which do not only depend on genetics, prenatal development, nutrition, health, and economic circumstances, but reflect social interactions. A Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth Questionnaire was presented to cross-culturally assess health-related quality of life in children. Changes of child body proportions in recent history, the relation between height and longevity in historic Dutch samples and also measures of body height in skeletal remains belonged to the topics of this meeting. Bayesian approaches and Monte Carlo simulations offer new statistical tools for the study of human growth.}, language = {en} }