TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Dammhahn, Melanie A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Groth, Detlef T1 - Winner-loser effects improve social network efficiency between competitors with equal resource holding power JF - Scientific reports N2 - Animal societies are structured of dominance hierarchy (DH). DH can be viewed as networks and analyzed by graph theory. We study the impact of state-dependent feedback (winner-loser effect) on the emergence of local dominance structures after pairwise contests between initially equal-ranking members (equal resource-holding-power, RHP) of small and large social groups. We simulated pairwise agonistic contests between individuals with and without a priori higher RHP by Monte-Carlo-method. Random pairwise contests between equal-ranking competitors result in random dominance structures (‘Null variant’) that are low in transitive triads and high in pass along triads; whereas state-dependent feedback (‘Winner-loser variant’) yields centralized ‘star’ structured DH that evolve from competitors with initially equal RHP and correspond to hierarchies that evolve from keystone individuals. Monte-Carlo simulated DH following state-dependent feedback show motif patterns very similar to those of a variety of natural DH, suggesting that state-dependent feedback plays a pivotal role in robust self-organizing phenomena that transcend the specifics of the individual. Self-organization based on state-dependent feedback leads to social structures that correspond to those resulting from pre-existing keystone individuals. As the efficiency of centralized social networks benefits both, the individual and the group, centralization of social networks appears to be an important evolutionary goal. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41225-y SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Bergmann's rule is a "just-so" story of human body size JF - Journal of physiological anthropology N2 - Carl Bergmann was an astute naturalist and physiologist. His ideas about animal size and shape were important advances in the pre-Darwinian nineteenth century. Bergmann's rule claims that that in cold climates, large body mass increases the ratio of volume-to-surface area and provides for maximum metabolic heat retention in mammals and birds. Conversely, in warmer temperatures, smaller body mass increases surface area relative to volume and allows for greater heat loss. For humans, we now know that body size and shape are regulated more by social-economic-political-emotional (SEPE) factors as well as nutrition-infection interactions. Temperature has virtually no effect. Bergmann's rule is a "just-so" story and should be relegated to teaching and scholarship about the history of science. That "rule" is no longer acceptable science and has nothing to tell us about physiological anthropology. KW - Developmental plasticity KW - SEPE KW - Body size KW - Body shape Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-022-00287-z SN - 1880-6805 VL - 41 IS - 1 PB - BMC CY - London ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Pulungan, Aman B. A1 - Batubara, Jose R. L. A1 - Julia, Madarina A1 - Bogin, Barry T1 - Response to the correspondence referring to our article "Stunting is not a synonym of malnutrition" (2018EJCN0997RR) by Conny Tanjung, Titis Prawitasari, Damayanti Rusli Sjarif T2 - European journal of clinical nutrition Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-0571-1 SN - 0954-3007 SN - 1476-5640 VL - 74 IS - 3 SP - 529 EP - 531 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - New York, NY ER - TY - GEN A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Catch-up growth is a better indicator of undernutrition than thresholds for stunting T2 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Objective: Stunting (height-for-age < −2 SD) is one of the forms of undernutrition and is frequent among children of low- and middle-income countries. But stunting perSe is not a synonym of undernutrition. We investigated association between body height and indicators of energetic undernutrition at three critical thresholds for thinness used in public health: (1) BMI SDS < −2; (2) mid-upper arm circumference divided by height (MUAC (mm) × 10/height (cm) < 1·36) and (3) mean skinfold thickness (SF) < 7 mm and to question the reliability of thresholds as indicators of undernutrition. Design: Cross-sectional study; breakpoint analysis. Setting: Rural and urban regions of Indonesia and Guatemala – different socio-economic status (SES). Participants: 1716 Indonesian children (6·0–13·2 years) and 3838 Guatemalan children (4·0–18·9 years) with up to 50 % stunted children. Results: When separating the regression of BMI, MUAC or SF, on height into distinguishable segments (breakpoint analysis), we failed to detect relevant associations between height, and BMI, MUAC or SF, even in the thinnest and shortest children. For BMI and SF, the breakpoint analysis either failed to reach statistical significance or distinguished at breakpoints above critical thresholds. For MUAC, the breakpoint analysis yielded negative associations between MUAC/h and height in thin individuals. Only in high SES Guatemalan children, SF and height appeared mildly associated with R2 = 0·017. Conclusions: Currently used lower thresholds of height-for-age (stunting) do not show relevant associations with anthropometric indicators of energetic undernutrition. We recommend using the catch-up growth spurt during early re-feeding instead as immediate and sensitive indicator of past undernourishment. We discuss the primacy of education and social-economic-political-emotional circumstances as responsible factors for stunting. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1350 KW - no threshold for stunting KW - catch-up growth KW - social-economic-political-emotional KW - (SEPE) factors Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-550495 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Bogin, Barry A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Catch-up growth is a better indicator of undernutrition than thresholds for stunting JF - Public health nutrition : PHN / The Nutrition Society N2 - Objective: Stunting (height-for-age < −2 SD) is one of the forms of undernutrition and is frequent among children of low- and middle-income countries. But stunting perSe is not a synonym of undernutrition. We investigated association between body height and indicators of energetic undernutrition at three critical thresholds for thinness used in public health: (1) BMI SDS < −2; (2) mid-upper arm circumference divided by height (MUAC (mm) × 10/height (cm) < 1·36) and (3) mean skinfold thickness (SF) < 7 mm and to question the reliability of thresholds as indicators of undernutrition. Design: Cross-sectional study; breakpoint analysis. Setting: Rural and urban regions of Indonesia and Guatemala – different socio-economic status (SES). Participants: 1716 Indonesian children (6·0–13·2 years) and 3838 Guatemalan children (4·0–18·9 years) with up to 50 % stunted children. Results: When separating the regression of BMI, MUAC or SF, on height into distinguishable segments (breakpoint analysis), we failed to detect relevant associations between height, and BMI, MUAC or SF, even in the thinnest and shortest children. For BMI and SF, the breakpoint analysis either failed to reach statistical significance or distinguished at breakpoints above critical thresholds. For MUAC, the breakpoint analysis yielded negative associations between MUAC/h and height in thin individuals. Only in high SES Guatemalan children, SF and height appeared mildly associated with R2 = 0·017. Conclusions: Currently used lower thresholds of height-for-age (stunting) do not show relevant associations with anthropometric indicators of energetic undernutrition. We recommend using the catch-up growth spurt during early re-feeding instead as immediate and sensitive indicator of past undernourishment. We discuss the primacy of education and social-economic-political-emotional circumstances as responsible factors for stunting. KW - no threshold for stunting KW - catch-up growth KW - social-economic-political-emotional KW - (SEPE) factors Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020003067 SN - 1475-2727 SN - 1368-9800 VL - 24 IS - 1 SP - 52 EP - 61 PB - Cambridge University Press CY - Cambridge ; New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael T1 - Reply to the letter titled: "Pathologizing normal height or identifying chronic malnutrition: Public health concerns of calling stunting normal" / by Nafis Faizi, Mohd Yasir Zubair and Fazeelah Tasleem'. - New York, NY [u.a.] : Wiley Interscience. - 2022. - (American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council, 16 Feb 2022. - 34(2022) 5 ). - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23735 JF - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Association Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23741 SN - 1520-6300 VL - 34 IS - 5 PB - Wiley Interscience CY - New York, NY [u.a.] ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Rogol, Alan D. T1 - Stunting BT - historical lessons that catch-up growth tells us for mapping growth restoration JF - Archives of disease in childhood : a peer review journal for health professionals and researchers covering conception to adolescence Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-319240 SN - 0003-9888 SN - 1468-2044 VL - 106 IS - 8 SP - 819 EP - 820 PB - BMJ Publishing Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Navazo, Bárbara A1 - Oyhenart, Evelia A1 - Dahinten, Silvia A1 - Mumm, Rebekka A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - Decrease of external skeletal robustness (Frame Index) between two cohorts of school children living in Puerto Madryn, Argentina at the beginning of the 21st century JF - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger N2 - Background: It has been shown that modern life style with reduced physical activity can lead to lower bone accumulation. Also a decline trend in external skeletal robustness in children and young adolescents, measured by the Frame Index (FI), seems to have a parallel trend with the increase in overweight and obesity. Based on these findings we estimate that likely, the FI should be changed after a decade in the Argentinean population as well as in others population of the world. Thereby, the aim of the present study was to describe, using the FI, the pattern of external skeletal robustness in school children aged 6-14 years from two cohorts of Argentina (Puerto Madryn, Chubut) and to compare them with the European reference (Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Russia). Methods: Elbow breadth and height of Puerto Madryn school children were collected in two cross-sectional studies conducted between 2001-2006 (cohort 1 = C1) and 2014-2016 (cohort 2 = C2). Percentiles (P) values, for males and females, from C1 and C2 were calculated combining the LMSmethod and its extension. A t-test has been used to compare, by age and sex, the FI values between the Argentinean cohorts and the European reference (ER). Then, in order to know the percentage of the variation of the percentiles values between cohorts, as well as with ER, percent differences between means (PDM%) were employed. Results: FI from Argentinean cohorts differed significantly from ER. Even more, C2 was not only smaller than ER, but also than C1. In males, C1-C2 showed significant differences at 6-8, 11 and 12 years and in females at all ages. Then, respect to ER each Argentinean cohort showed significant differences in males of C1 at 6, 12-14 years and in females at 6 and 11-14 years; and of C2, in both sexes, from 6 to 14 years. The PDM% values for elbow breadth of male were negative in ER-C1 in all percentiles analyzed; in ER-C2 positive (P3 and P50) and negative (P97) and C1-C2 recorded positive values. In females, elbow breadth showed negative values for ER-C1 (P50 and P97), and positive for the remaining values. Finally, height registered, in both sexes, negative values in ER-C1 (except P97 in females), ER-C2 and C1-C2. Conclusions: After ten years of the first study carried on in Puerto Madryn, school children show a negative trend in the external skeletal robustness. Additionally, the children of both Argentinean cohorts have lower values compared to the European reference, and mainly the actual cohort. This situation would be explained, in part, by the progressive increase over time of overweight and obesity as consequence, among others, of the change in the quantity and/or quality of the food that children have access to and with the physical activity they do at school and outside. KW - elbow breadth KW - height KW - skeletal robustness KW - school children KW - Argentina Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2020/1182 SN - 0003-5548 SN - 2363-7099 VL - 77 IS - 5 SP - 405 EP - 413 PB - Schweizerbart CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Novina, Novina A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Scheffler, Christiane A1 - Pulungan, Aman B. A1 - Ismiarto, Yoyos Dias A1 - Andriyana, Yudhie A1 - Biben, Vitriana A1 - Setiabudiawan, Budi T1 - Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts better reflect height and weight of children in West Java, Indonesia, than WHO Child Growth Standards JF - Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology N2 - Objective: The Indonesia Basic Health Research 2018 indicates that Indonesian children are still among the shortest in the world. When referred to World Health Organization Child Growth Standards (WHOCGS), the prevalence of stunting reaches up to 43% in several Indonesian districts. Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts (INGRC) were established in order to better distinguish between healthy short children and children with growth disorders. We analyzed height and weight measurements of healthy Indonesian children using INGRC and WHOCGS. Methods: 6972 boys and 5800 girls (n = 12,772), aged 0-59 months old, from Bandung District were measured. Z-scores of length/height and body mass index were calculated based on INGRC and WHOCGS. Results: Under 5-year-old Indonesian children raised in Bandung are short and slim. Mean height z-scores of boys is -2.03 [standard deviation (SD) 1.31], mean height z-scores of girls is -2.03 (SD 1.31) when referred to WHOCGS indicating that over 50 % of these children are stunted. Bandung children are heterogeneous, with substantial subpopulations of tall children. Depending on the growth reference used, between 9% and 15% of them are wasted. Wasted children are on average half a SD taller than their peers. Conclusion: WHOCGS seriously overestimates the true prevalence of undernutrition in Indonesian children. The present investigation fails to support evidence of undernutrition at a prevalence similar to the over 50% prevalence of stunting (WHOCGS) versus 13.3% (INGRC). We suggest refraining from using WHOCGS, and instead applying INGRC that closely mirror height and weight increments in Bandung children. INGRC appear superior for practical and clinical purposes, such as detecting growth and developmental disorders. KW - Anthropometric measurement KW - Indonesian National Growth Reference Charts KW - World Health Organization Child Growth Standards KW - Bandung District KW - children KW - undernutrition Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2020.2020.0044 SN - 1308-5727 SN - 1308-5735 VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 410 EP - 419 PB - Galenos Yayincilik CY - Istanbul ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hermanussen, Michael A1 - Erofeev, Sergei A1 - Scheffler, Christiane T1 - The socio-endocrine regulation of human growth JF - Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child N2 - Aim Growth is a multifarious phenomenon that has been studied by nutritionists, economists, paediatric endocrinologists; archaeologists, child psychologists and other experts. Yet, a unifying theory of understanding growth regulation is still lacking. Method Critical review of the literature. Results We summarise evidence linking social competition and its effect on hierarchies in social structures, with the neuronal networks of the ventromedial hypothalamus and body size. The endocrine signalling system regulating growth hormone, Insulin-like-Growth-Factor1 and skeletal growth, is well conserved in the evolution of vertebrata for some 400 million years. The link between size and status permits adaptive plasticity, competitive growth and strategic growth adjustments also in humans. Humans perceive size as a signal of dominance with tallness being favoured and particularly prevalent in the upper social classes. Conclusion Westernised societies are competitive. People are tall, and "open to change." Social values include striving for status and prestige implying socio-economic domination. We consider the transition of political and social values following revolutions and civil wars, as key elements that interact with the evolutionarily conserved neuroendocrine competence for adaptive developmental plasticity, overstimulate the hypothalamic growth regulation and finally lead to the recent historic increases in average height. KW - competitive growth KW - developmental plasticity KW - evolution KW - growth KW - hormone-releasing hormone KW - strategic growth adjustments Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.16504 SN - 0803-5253 SN - 1651-2227 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER -