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Biomedical subjects

Martin Voracek

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Voracek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Evidence for assortative mating on digit ratio (2D:4D), a biomarker for prenatal androgen exposure.

The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) presents an anatomical sex difference in humans. On average, men tend to have lower 2D:4D compared with women. There is fairly strong evidence for a role of the 2D:4D ratio as a biomarker for the organizational (permanent) effects of prenatal testosterone on the brain and behaviour. Recently, an accumulating research programme has shown 2D:4D to be related to a multitude of sex-dependent, hormonally influenced biosocial traits and phenotypes which reach into the domains of ability, behaviour, fertility, health, personality and sexuality. This study investigated the degree of assortative mating (spousal similarity) in a sample of 239 native Austrian couples of parental or grandparental age, all of them having reproduced. Results included: (i) significant spousal correlations of +0.19 and +0.18 for right-hand and left-hand 2D:4D, respectively, and +0.24 for average 2D:4D; (ii) no assortative mating effect on the right-minus-left difference in 2D:4D; (iii) indications consistent with a possible generational decrease of spousal similarity in 2D:4D; (iv) a prevalence of couples with a lower right-hand 2D:4D observed in the husband compared with his wife; and (v) relations of spousal 2D:4D patterns to spousal age differences, such that matings of men with more male-typical trait expressions (namely, a generally low right-hand 2D:4D or showing a lower right-minus-left 2D:4D difference than their wives) implicated larger male-minus-female age differences, i.e. younger wives. It is argued that assortative mating on 2D:4D operates indirectly and may be mediated through the assortment on other, more perceptible, physical traits and psychological phenotypes that entertain associations with 2D:4D and are relevant for courtship and mate choice.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Dietary tryptophan intake and suicide rate in industrialized nations.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the ecological association of dietary tryptophan intake and suicide rates across industrialized nations. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, is the rate-limiting precursor of serotonin biosynthesis. The serotonergic system has been strongly implicated in the neurobiology of suicide. METHODS: Contemporary male and female suicide rates for the general population (42 countries) and the elderly (38 countries) were correlated with national estimates of dietary tryptophan intake. RESULTS: Measures of tryptophan intake were significantly negatively associated to national suicide rates. Controlling for national affluence, total alcohol consumption and happiness levels slightly attenuated these associations, but left all of them negative. LIMITATIONS: The effect is an ecological (group-level) finding. Estimated per capita tryptophan supply is only a proxy for actual consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Developed nations ranking high in dietary tryptophan intake rank low in suicide rates, independent of national wealth, alcohol intake and happiness.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Success is all in the measures: androgenousness, curvaceousness, and starring frequencies in adult media actresses.

The debate of whether body-mass index (BMI) or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is the primary visual cue to female physical attractiveness (FPA) has generated considerable interest. However, experiments addressing this question typically have limited ecological validity and do not capture the ultimate goal of FPA, which is to elicit male sexual arousal. Hence, using an unobtrusive measures design, we retrieved movie and magazine starring frequencies of 125 adult media actresses from a company's database, operationalized starring frequencies as FPA measures, and tested their relationship to actresses' anthropometric data. Low BMI was related to frequent movie starring, while WHR, waist-to-bust ratio (WBR), and bust size were not. Conversely, low WHR, low WBR, and larger bust size were related to frequent magazine starring, while BMI was not. Visual cues to FPA might be domain-specific, with androgenousness cues salient for attractiveness evaluation of moving bodies and curvaceousness cues salient for posing bodies.

Beauty↗
PubMed2006

Suicide in Austrian children and young adolescents aged 14 and younger.

INTRODUCTION: Research on suicide in childhood and early adolescence is sparse. We investigated suicide cases of children and young adolescents in terms of prevalence, gender differences, suicide methods and monthly distribution during a period of 32 years. METHODS: Registered suicides aged 14 or younger occurring between 1970 and 2001 (n = 275) in Austria were studied. RESULTS: The mean suicide rate for 10 to 14-year-olds was 1.4 per 100,000 with a male-female ratio of 3.1:1. The total child and young adolescent suicide rate and boys' suicide rates decreased over the study period. However, there was no significant fluctuation in girls' suicide rates. Hanging was the predominant suicide method in both genders. Use of this method decreased steadily over the study period, whereas the percentage of suicides by other methods, i.e., jumping and firearms suicides increased. Greater number of suicides in children and young adolescents was observed during the months of April/May and October/November. CONCLUSION: Suicide rates of children and young adolescents in Austria are on the decrease, in accordance with a reported decrease in the general suicide rate in Austria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Complications after zygoma fracture fixation: is there a difference between biodegradable materials and how do they compare with titanium osteosynthesis?

OBJECTIVE: Biodegradable materials are particularly useful for the fixation of zygomatic fractures. Different systems are commercially available. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcome of zygomatic fracture fixation using 3 biodegradable systems and a titanium osteosynthesis system. STUDY DESIGN: Patients with displaced fractures of the zygomatic bone presenting at our department from October 2001 to May 2003 were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatment groups for fracture fixation (study group A: LactoSorb: n = 18; study group B: BioSorb: n = 18; study group C: Delta: n = 18). Treatment outcome and complication rates were compared with a historic patient group with zygomatic fractures fixed with titanium osteosynthesis (control group D: n = 15). RESULTS: A total of 64 patients (study groups A + B + C: n = 49; control group D: n = 15) were followed for at least 24 months (range: 24 to 44 months). Forty-nine patients in the biodegradable study groups (group A: n = 15; group B: n = 17; group C: n = 17) who had their fractures fixed with biodegradable plates and screws alone or in combination with titanium plates and screws were reviewed postoperatively. Uneventful healing occurred during the entire follow-up period in 39 (80%) out of 49 patients in the biodegradable groups (A + B + C) and in 12 (80%) out of 15 patients in group D. Ten patients in groups A + B + C developed postoperative complications (infection: n = 3; soft tissue dehiscence: n = 2; implant-related tissue reactions: n = 5), compared with 3 patients in group D (soft tissue dehiscence: n = 1; unspecific pain: n = 2) (P = .97). Complications occurred in 4 patients in group A and 3 patients each in groups B and C. Smokers developed significantly more postoperative complications than nonsmokers in groups A + B + C (P = .01). CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between biodegradable osteosynthesis materials or between biodegradable materials and titanium fixation with respect to fracture healing and postoperative complications. Postoperative complications were of a minor nature and resolved spontaneously or after local therapy. Smoking habits may play a significant role in the incidence of complications with biodegradable materials.

Absorbable Implants↗
PubMed2006

Smart and suicidal? The social ecology of intelligence and suicide in Austria.

According to de Catanzaro's (1981) evolutionary theory of human suicide, a threshold intelligence is necessary for suicidality. A corollary deducible from this assertion is that intelligence and suicide mortality should be positively related. The present study tested de Catanzaro's corollary within a country. Using district-level IQ data of the entire non-institutionalized Austrian male year-of-birth cohort of 1969 who survived up to compulsory military conscription, including IQ testing in 1987 (n = 55474), the subsequent (1987-2001) district-level cohort loss due to suicide mortality was investigated. Across 99 Austrian districts, the regional IQ was weakly but statistically significantly, positively related to the regional standardized suicide rate as well as to the regional percentage of mortality due to suicide in this very cohort, when these relations were controlled for likely confounders (male divorce and unemployment rates and male net income), but not statistically reliable without these controls. It is argued that the most parsimonious interpretation of these aggregate-level findings remains that intelligence level and suicide mortality are positively related.

Austria↗
PubMed2006

Influence of previous radiotherapy on free tissue transfer in the head and neck region: evaluation of 455 cases.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the effect of prior radiotherapy (XRT) on the outcome of microvascular free tissue transfer in the head and neck region. METHODS: Four hundred fifty-five patients, subdivided into three groups, were analyzed. Groups I (no previous XRT, n=110), II (previous radiochemotherapy with 50 Gy focus dosage in the primary treatment regime for oral cancer, n=322), and III (secondary reconstruction after XRT-induced complications, n=23) were compared regarding flap success rate, postoperative complications, postoperative mortality, duration of intensive care (DOIC), and hospitalization (DOH). RESULTS: Flap success did not differ significantly across groups (I: 95.5%, II: 93.2%, III: 91.3%. Risk of postoperative complications was significantly lower for group I (12.7%) compared with groups II (23.9%) and III (39.1%). DOIC and DOH were significantly shorter for patients in group I than for those in groups II and III. CONCLUSIONS: XRT before free tissue transfer does not significantly increase flap loss or postoperative mortality but does increase postoperative complications and length of hospitalization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

The shape of beauty: determinants of female physical attractiveness.

Rarely has one research area gained as much attention as that which is observed for female physical attractiveness. The past decade has resulted in numerous, exciting developments, particularly with respect to three proposed determinants of beauty: waist to hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), and curvaceousness. The goal of our paper is to provide a highly necessary review of contemporary research on the female attractiveness, including an in-depth examination of these factors. In our review, we first discuss WHR, an index of fat deposition, which is calculated by measuring the circumference of the waist compared to the circumference of the hips. WHR is controlled by the sex hormones, and increases as women age, and hence, may influence perceptions of attractiveness. This factor has been hotly contested, as some researchers have claimed that a WHR of approximately 0.7 is universally most attractive, whereas others have found inconsistent findings, or suggest the importance of other factors, such as BMI. Body mass index (BMI), calculated by dividing the body weight (in kilograms) by height (in meters) squared, serves as a measure of body fat. Although WHR and BMI are correlated, they lead to different conclusions, and the importance of BMI as a measure of female attractiveness is debated in the literature. Similar to WHR research, BMI and its role in attractiveness is not cross-culturally consistent and is affected by the availability of resources within a given environment. It may be the case that both WHR and BMI influence female attractiveness. However, there has been little investigation of this possibility. We have explored this issue in our research, which revealed that both influence attractiveness, but in addition, we noticed that curvaceousness was also a factor. Curvaceousness is the degree of "hourglass" shape as determined, for example, by the size of the bust, relative to the circumference of the hips and waist, and the size of the buttocks. However, curvaceousness does not appear to be temporally stable as a marker of attractiveness, and it is not consistent across modes of presentation. For example, models in male-oriented magazines are more curvaceous than models in female-oriented magazines. In summary, faced with these recent findings, it is difficult to ascertain agreement among the various factors, especially when researchers investigate each determinant in isolation. We conclude that, although researchers have made many important initial steps in examining female attractiveness, there remains much to be discovered.

Beauty↗
PubMed2006

The Miandad effect reconsidered: analysis of Pakistan's cricket performance 1952 to 2005.

In 2004 Abbasi and Khan reported an enduring influence of a 1986 Pakistani landmark victory in cricket over India on subsequent matches up to 2003. The present study reconsidered the significance and the specificity of this phenomenon, denoted as the "Miandad effect." All 659 Pakistani cricket encounters with India and other frequently played opponents up to 2005 which yielded a winning team were included in the analysis. The increase in matches won by Pakistan over India in the post-1986 period was statistically not significant. Changes in match performance against other frequently played nations, namely, increases against England and the West Indies as well as decreases against Australia and Sri Lanka, were larger than the one seen with India. Apparently, the Miandad effect neither generalized to all recurrently encountered opponents, nor was specific to India.

Achievement↗
PubMed2006

Suicide rate and national scores on the Big Five personality factors.

Across 46 nations around the world, suicide rates were negatively correlated with national scores on the Big Five personality factors of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness (two facets indicating low Psychoticism), thus not replicating previous findings of Lester (1993, 2005).

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗
PubMed2006

Social ecology of intelligence and suicide in the United States.

Two proxy variables for regional intelligence, state-level mean scores of 1994-2004 on the American College Test and of 1982, 1993, 1994, and 1998-2004 on the Scholastic Assessment Test, were consistently positively correlated with the averaged regional U.S. suicide rates of 1990-1994. The effects observed in these ecological (group-level) analyses were of small size, with correlation coefficients ranging from .05 to .25, thus mostly falling below the nominal statistical significance level. The present evidence nevertheless adds to several recent findings from international geographical studies by Lester and by Voracek of a positive association of intelligence and suicide mortality by indicating that this pattern may also exist on the within-nation level.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Suicide rate and skin color.

In two previously described samples of 53 and 43 nations, higher suicide rates of men, women, and the elderly population consistently corresponded to lighter skin color. This ecological (aggregate-level) association was independent of national differences in affluence, as measured by per capita Gross Domestic Product.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Exponential fitting of suicide rate and national intelligence estimates.

Positive ecological (group-level) associations of Lynn and Vanhanen's 2002 national intelligence (IQ) estimates with the suicide rates of men and women across 85 countries and with the suicide rates of the male, female, and total elderly population across 48 Eurasian countries reported recently is extended by the finding that this ecological association was notedly better accounted for by exponential fitting than by linear fitting. This evidence implies that the effect of a shift in the national IQ on the suicide rate is proportional, not absolute. As a rule of thumb, a 5-point shift in national IQ roughly corresponds to a 50% change in the national suicide rate.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2006

Digit ratio (2D:4D), lateral preferences, and performance in fencing.

The second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic trait (men tend to have lower values than women) and a likely biomarker for the organizational (permanent) effects of prenatal androgens on the human brain and body. Prenatal testosterone, as reflected by 2D:4D, has many extragenital effects, including its relevance for the formation of an efficient cardiovascular system. Previous research, reviewed here, has therefore investigated possible associations of 2D:4D with sport performance. Several studies found more masculinized digit ratio patterns (low 2D:4D values or a negative right-minus-left difference in 2D:4D) to be related to high performance in running, soccer, and skiing. The present research tested this hypothesis in a sample of 54 tournament fencers, predominantly from Austria. For men, negative right-left differences in 2D:4D corresponded significantly to better current as well as highest national fencing rankings, independent of training intensity and fencing experience. The mean 2D:4D values of these fencers were significantly lower and the proportion of left-handers was elevated relative to the local general population. For the right hand, the ratio was somewhat lower in male sabre fencers than in male epée and foil fencers combined and significantly lower in left-handed compared to right-handed fencers. Although nonsignificant due to low statistical power, effect sizes suggested that crossed versus congruent hand-eye and hand-foot preferences might also be related to fencing performance. The present findings add to the evidence that 2D:4D might be a performance indicator for men across a variety of sports.

Adolescent↗