Hiroko Motozumi

Eating Attitudes Test in Boys and Girls Aged 6–18 Years: Decrease in Concerns with Eating in Boys and the Increase in Girls with Their Ages

Concerns with eating were studied in 130 Japanese boys and 125 girls aged 6-18 years using the Simplified Eating Attitudes Test (s-EAT). The s-EAT scores in girls slightly increased with age. The mean scores in girls at age 10 years or older were significantly higher than in boys of the same age, suggesting that pubertal girls have more concerns with eating. On the other hand, s-EAT scores in boys that were not overweight decreased as they grew older, contributing, at least partly, to the sexual difference in eating behavior. The mean scores in overweight boys were higher than in boys that were not overweight. The score in boys correlated significantly with weight though there was no significant correlation in girls. These results suggest that, in addition to increased concerns with eating in girls, decreased concerns with age in boys is one of the causes of the sexual difference in eating behavior, especially during puberty. Eating behaviors in girls seem to be less influenced by changes in body weight than in boys.

Abnormal perception of body weight is not solely observed in pubertal girls: incorrect body image in children and its relationship to body weight

Perceived actual body weight and perceived ideal weight were assessed in 255 Japanese children and adolescents (130 boys, 125 girls) aged 6 years through 18 years using the drawing test to clarify whether they wanted to be thinner or to gain weight. More than half (68%) of the girls attending high school and 41% of the elementary school girls perceived their ideal weight to be less than the standard. The mean difference between the perceived actual weight and the ideal weight was positive in the high school girls of normal weight as well as in the overweight girls, meaning that even the normal‐weight girls wanted to lose weight. The difference was also slightly positive in the underweight girls. The difference in the high school boys was negative, demonstrating that they wished to gain weight. It is suggested that girls want to lose weight even before adolescence; this tendency becomes more prominent in the high school period and is mostly unrelated to their own weight.

Prevalence of Obesity, Leanness and Anorexia nervosa in Japanese Boys and Girls Aged 12–14 Years

Body weight and height of Japanese boys and girls aged 12-14 years were measured to calculate the prevalence of obesity, leanness and anorexia nervosa. In boys, the prevalence of obesity as well as leanness was significantly higher in the areas where population density was lower and among the boys who attended schools with smaller numbers of pupils. In the girls, these findings were similar to the boys. On the other hand, anorexia nervosa was found in girls only more commonly in the areas with higher population density and in the larger schools. These results suggest that higher prevalence of obesity in certain subjects may be associated with increased numbers of leanness but not with anorexia nervosa.

Immunodeficiency with increased immunoglobulin M associated with growth hormone insufficiency

Growth hormone deficiency associated with hypogammaglobulinemia has been reported only in a few publications. Our patient was a male with recurrent episodes of infections. Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G was extremely low although IgM concentration was much greater than the normal limit. Growth hormone responses to insulin, 1‐Dopa and growth hormone‐releasing hormone were low. The mean growth hormone concentration during sleep was less than the normal limit. These results are consistent with hyper‐IgM immunodeficiency associated with growth hormone deficiency. The mode of transmission appears to be autosomal dominant. This combination has not been reported previously.

Efficacy of Bromocriptine Administration for Selective Pituitary Resistance to Thyroid Hormone

The relation between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and triiodothyronine (T3) was evaluated in a girl with the selective pituitary type of thyroid hormone resistance for more than 7 years to clarify whether bromocriptine was an effective treatment or not. Levels of T3 (before: 2.44 +/- 0.64 nmol/l, mean +/- SD) and TSH (4.81 +/- 2.52 mU/l) were significantly decreased during therapy (T3: 2.15 +/- 0.44 nmol/l; TSH: 1.59 +/- 0.78 mU/l). T3 x TSH, calculated as one of the indices of pituitary resistance, on bromocriptine therapy (3.229 +/- 1.255 mU/l x nmol/l) was significantly (p < 0.005) smaller than the product before the administration (11.298 +/- 5.891 mU/l x nmol/l). The results suggest that bromocriptine should be one of the agents initially considered for the treatment of pituitary resistance to thyroid hormone.

Excessive Food Aversion, Compulsive Exercise and Decreased Height Gain Due to Fear of Obesity in a Prepubertal Girl

A case of a 7-year-old girl with a remarkable food aversion and excessive weight reduction caused by fear of obesity, which has been demonstrated in pubertal girls with symptoms partly similar to anorexia nervosa, is reported. Although the patients weight was reduced to the upper limits of the normal range with diet and exercise, she reduced her food intake more strictly and did not at all eat food consisting of carbohydrates. Exercise was performed longer than before. Her weight continued to decrease and height velocity lowered from 6.0 to 4.1 cm/year (mean +/- SD of the age-matched normal girls: 5.5 +/- 0.74 cm/year). Her eating behavior was normalized without specific psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa. It is suggested that food aversion with weight loss and decrease in height gain due to fear of obesity may occur in prepubertal children as well as in adolescent girls.

Responses of plasma vasoactive intestinal polypeptide to methacholine and exercise loading in children and adolescents with bronchial asthma

Responses of plasma vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) to methacholine inhalation and to exercise loading were studied in asthmatic patients to clarity a significant role of the peptidc. The mean of basal VIP in asthmatics was not significantly different from the normals. The levels were increased after FEV (1. 0) (forced expiratory volume in a second) decreased to 80% of the baseline following methacholine inhalation and were returned to values similar to the baseline when FEV (1. 0) recovered to 100%. Thirty minutes after the exercise, mean VIP was significantly lower in patients with the lowest FEV (1. 0). These results suggest that VIPergic system contributes, at least partly, to relax constricted bronchioles in some patients with bronchial asthma.

Skinfold Thickness at Ulnar, Triceps, Subscapular, and Suprailiac Regions in 1,656 Japanese Children Aged 3-11 Years

We measured body weight, height, and skinfold thickness (SFT) at ulnar, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac regions in 1,656 Japanese children aged 3-11 years. Means of SFT in boys and girls with normal weight exhibited similar changes with age to Caucasian children. However, nadirs of SFT were observed 1 year earlier and means at 11 years were slightly higher in Japanese. Correlation coefficients between SFT and excess weight (EW) were high in boys and girls when EW was more than 10%. Some children with EW of more than 10% had abnormal SFT. Skinfolds in all children with EW of 30% or more were beyond the normal limits. In this study, normal ranges of SFT in Japanese children are demonstrated and their racial characteristics are compared to Caucasians. It is suggested that children with EW of 10-30% are heterogenous and determination of fat volume is essential to confirm the diagnosis of obesity in these subjects.

Elevated Venous Concentrations of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide in Cord Blood of Infants with Fetal Distress

Concentrations of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in cord plasma were determined in 70 neonates (birth weight, mean +/- SD, 3,213.5 +/- 50.9 g, gestation 39.5 +/- 0.2 weeks), 22 of whom had fetal distress. Arterial VIP levels in cord blood were not significantly different between infants with and without fetal distress. The mean venous VIP in cord blood of distressed infants (28.1 +/- 8.4 pg/ml, mean +/- SE) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of normal neonates (12.6 +/- 3.4 pg/ml). The mean placental content of VIP was 5.1 +/- 0.3 ng/g wet tissue, although a correlation with the venous concentration in the cord was not demonstrated. Venous VIP levels were elevated 24 h after birth (34.6 +/- 13.7 pg/ml) and decreased on the 5th day of life to 12.9 +/- 3.8 pg/ml, which was not significantly different from the mean VIP level in childhood (14.7 +/- 3.1 pg/ml). These results demonstrate that, in the perinatal period, plasma VIP levels are elevated on two occasions: at delivery associated with fetal distress (cord vein), and at 24 h of age. VIP in the former seems to be of placental and/or maternal origin.