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Biomedical subjects

Keith Godfrey

Publications and source records attributed to Keith Godfrey.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Geographical variation in relationships between parental body size and offspring phenotype at birth.

BACKGROUND: Size and body proportions at birth are partly determined by maternal body composition, but most studies of mother-baby relationships have only considered the effects of maternal height and weight on offspring birth weight, and few have examined the size of effects. Paternal size and body composition also play a role, primarily through the fetal genome, although few studies have investigated relationships with neonatal phenotype. METHODS: Data from the UK, Finland, India, Sri Lanka, China, DR Congo, Nigeria and Jamaica were used to investigate the effects of maternal measures (derived at 30 weeks' gestation, n=16,418), and also paternal size (n=3,733) on neonatal phenotype, for singleton, live-born, term births. RESULTS: After accounting for variation in maternal size and shape across populations, differences in neonatal phenotype were markedly reduced. Mother-baby relationships were similar across populations, although some were stronger in developing countries. Maternal height was generally the strongest predictor of neonatal length, maternal head circumference of neonatal head and maternal skinfold thickness of neonatal skinfolds. Relationships with maternal arm muscle area were generally weak. Effects of paternal height and body mass index were weaker than the equivalent maternal measurements in most studies. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in maternal body composition account for a large part of the geographical variation in neonatal phenotype. The size of the effects of all maternal measures on neonatal phenotype suggests that nutrition at every stage of the mother's life cycle may influence fetal growth. Further research is needed into father-baby relationships and the genetic mechanisms that influence fetal growth.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Geographical variation in neonatal phenotype.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown associations between size and body proportions at birth and health outcomes throughout the life cycle, but there are few data on how neonatal phenotype varies in different populations around the world. METHODS: Data from the UK, Finland, India, Sri Lanka, China, DR Congo, Nigeria, and Jamaica (n=22,067) were used to characterize geographical differences in phenotype in singleton, live-born newborns. Measurements included birth weight, placental weight, length, head, chest, abdominal and arm circumferences, and skinfolds. RESULTS: Neonates in Europe were the largest, followed by Jamaica, East Asia (China), then Africa and South Asia. Birth weight varied widely (mean values 2,730-3,570 g), but in contrast, head circumference was similar in all except China (markedly smaller). The main difference in body proportions between populations was the head to length ratio, with small heads relative to length in China and large heads relative to length in South Asia and Africa. CONCLUSIONS: These marked geographical differences in neonatal phenotype need to be considered when investigating determinants of fetal growth, and optimal phenotype for short-term and long-term outcomes.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed2006

Miniplates and screws in treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion with missing posterior teeth. A case report.

AIM: To describe the use of miniplates for temporary skeletal anchorage to distalise the entire lower dentition. METHODS: A 40 year-old woman presented with a skeletal Class III malocclusion and multiple missing maxillary and mandibular teeth. The treatment plan was to distalise the mandibular dentition. Two miniplates and screws in the mandibular retromolar region were used as temporary skeletal anchorage for Class I elastics. The entire lower dentition was distalised into a Class I incisor relationship with the miniplate and screw anchorage.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Evening primrose oil effects on osteoclasts during tooth movement.

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of supplemented evening primrose oil (EPO) on osteoclast expression during experimental tooth movement in rats. Forty-eight 10-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into experimental and control groups. Animals in the experiment group were fed a 7.25 g/kg daily dose of EPO orally by gastric intubation for 20 days before orthodontic tooth movement. The animals in the control group received an equivalent volume of distilled water by the same method. On day 21, a 40-g mesial tipping force was applied to the maxillary right first molar of each rat. After loading, six animals in each group were sacrificed on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 with the appliance in situ. On day 3, the number of osteoclasts on the appliance side of the experimental group was significantly increased compared with the control group (P < .05). On day 7, the number of osteoclasts on the non-appliance side of the experimental group was significantly increased compared with the control group (P < .05). This study indicates that oral administration of EPO can increase the number of osteoclasts and may accelerate orthodontic tooth movement.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Developmental plasticity and human health.

Many plants and animals are capable of developing in a variety of ways, forming characteristics that are well adapted to the environments in which they are likely to live. In adverse circumstances, for example, small size and slow metabolism can facilitate survival, whereas larger size and more rapid metabolism have advantages for reproductive success when resources are more abundant. Often these characteristics are induced in early life or are even set by cues to which their parents or grandparents were exposed. Individuals developmentally adapted to one environment may, however, be at risk when exposed to another when they are older. The biological evidence may be relevant to the understanding of human development and susceptibility to disease. As the nutritional state of many human mothers has improved around the world, the characteristics of their offspring--such as body size and metabolism--have also changed. Responsiveness to their mothers' condition before birth may generally prepare individuals so that they are best suited to the environment forecast by cues available in early life. Paradoxically, however, rapid improvements in nutrition and other environmental conditions may have damaging effects on the health of those people whose parents and grandparents lived in impoverished conditions. A fuller understanding of patterns of human plasticity in response to early nutrition and other environmental factors will have implications for the administration of public health.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Report on the 2nd World Congress on Fetal Origins of Adult Disease, Brighton, U.K., June 7-10, 2003.

In 1989, reports suggested that the fetal environment, as reflected in birth size, was related to the risk of noncommunicable diseases in adult life. This association was first described for coronary heart disease but rapidly extended to include type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and metabolic and endocrine homeostasis. This led to the development of the fetal origins of adult disease paradigm, which resulted in a refocusing of research effort over the next 10 y to consider the lifelong consequences of perinatal influences on chronic diseases. Previously, perinatal influences had largely been seen in terms of teratogenic effects or acute birth injury rather than whether trajectories and responses made during early development had lifelong consequences. Indeed, in developmental biology, it is widely recognized that adaptive plastic responses during early development often have consequences for function in later adulthood. Although the relative importance of this newly recognized set of phenomena to the burden of human disease has been controversial, the research precipitated by those early observations has confirmed their robustness and started to provide a mechanistic basis to this biology. Two world congresses have been held to review progress in this research. Both have been characterized by a unique multidisciplinary attendance ranging from molecular, experimental, and developmental biologists to epidemiologists and health economists.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Extra-oral retraction mechanics: a review.

OBJECTIVES: The literature relating the centres of resistance of the maxillary molars, the maxillary dental arch, and the maxilla to extra-oral retraction vectors intended for both orthodontic and orthopaedic effects, is reviewed. Conventional clinical wisdom concerning the different effects of cervical-, straight-, and high-pull vectors is questioned. CONCLUSION: Published studies lack the rigorous design necessary for unequivocal interpretation.

Dental Stress Analysis↗
PubMed2003

Development of a network system for the care of patients with cleft lip and palate in Thailand.

Cleft lip and palate are major public health concerns in Thailand, particularly in the north-east. The challenge for a developing country is to adapt to its unique environment the form of multidisciplinary care of patients with clefts in industrialised nations. An epidemiological study of the incidence of clefts was made by reviewing previous studies conducted in Thailand as a guide to development of a prospective multicentre study. As a result, a system for the care of patients with clefts has been developed by the Cleft Center in Khon Kaen University. The new aims of cleft care in Thailand are to establish and develop specialised cleft centres and supportive systems for interdisciplinary management, adopt protocols for long-term guidelines, provide education programmes about clefts, develop a database, and conduct relevant research projects. Other key factors in its success are the multicentre project, collaboration, fund raising, and good public relations.

Cleft Lip↗
PubMed2003

Facio-lingual width of the alveolar base.

Importance is attached to assessment of anterior facio-lingual maxillary and mandibular apical base widths in determining limits to incisor root movements. There is absence of similar assessment of facio-lingual base widths for premolars and molars. The aims of this paper are two-fold: to determine the strength of associations between the facio-lingual widths of the anterior and buccal alveolar apical bases, and to determine if an association might exist between the posterior alveolar base width and specific lateral cephalometric measurements. Comparative measurements were made on 40 adult Thai skulls and their companion mandibles using lateral cephalometric radiographs, linear tomography, and direct measurements of the dento-alveolar and basal structures. Wide variation was found in facio-lingual widths of the alveolar bases. No significant correlations were found between the facio-lingual widths of the anterior and posterior alveolar bases in the maxillae and mandible. Significant inverse correlations were found between the alveolar base widths at the mandibular incisors and the FP-MP and PP-MP angles, and between maxillary incisor base widths and the gonial angle. Importantly, no cephalometric indicators were found to predict posterior alveolar base widths. There is a need to continue to search for assessment indicators.

Adolescent↗