Background Peak height velocity (PHV) is essential in soccer for talent identification, training load, and injury prevention.Aim To compare observed PHV from longitudinal data with four predictive methods.Subjects and methods Fifty-six Portuguese male soccer players (12–15 years) from academies provided 170 height records. Observed PHV was modelled using the Preece-Baines-1 method, while estimated PHV was estimated from Mirwald, Fransen, Moore-1, and Moore-2 equations.Results All methods differed from the observed age at peak height velocity (APHV) (p < 0.001), except Moore-2 (p = 0.169). When comparing APHV among prediction methods and the longitudinal reference method across age groups, only Moore-2 showed comparable estimates for the 12–15-year groups (p > 0.080). Early maturers displayed significant differences for all methods (p < 0.001), while among those maturing on-time, only Moore-2 showed no significant difference (p = 0.091). Late maturers exhibited non-significant differences with the Mirwald, Moore-1 and Fransen methods (p > 0.084).Conclusion Moore-2 aligned most closely with the reference method (Preece-Baines-1), particularly for on-time maturers and within the 12–14 age range.
Context Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have transformed obesity and diabetes treatments and show promise for many other health conditions, warranting an examination of their broader health effects.Objective We examine obesity, sedentary behaviour, and loneliness through an evolutionary medicine framework, assessing GLP-1RAs’ role in buffering or exacerbating mismatches between novel environments and our evolved physiology.Methods We searched for relevant GLP-1RA papers through PubMed utilising keywords such as “physical activity,” “social,” and “qualitative,” and synthesise important findings in this narrative review.Results GLP-1RAs buffer against the negative health effects of obesogenic foods through the drugs’ effects on our neurobiology. These drugs may mitigate the effects of sedentary lifestyles, as it is easier to exercise without excess weight. However, rapid drug-induced weight loss may reduce fat-free mass if behavioural interventions (e.g. strength training) are not undertaken. Finally, we discuss the mismatch of reduced social eating and associated loneliness. While little data exists on the social effects of GLP-1RAs, emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1RAs may alleviate or intensify loneliness depending on an individual’s milieu and specific drug response.Conclusion Our novel environments increasingly challenge human health. GLP-1RAs may help us manage these mismatches in some ways and exacerbate them in others.
Background Life-history theory predicts a trade-off between reproduction and longevity. Castration has been proposed to extend male lifespan by reducing androgen-related costs, but evidence from human populations remains limited.Aim This study examined whether eunuchs in imperial China had a survival advantage over comparable non-castrated men and whether earlier-life castration was associated with greater longevity.Subjects and methods Biographical records of eunuchs and non-castrated bureaucrats from the Tang (618–907 CE) and Ming (1368–1644 CE) dynasties were analysed. Hypothesis 1 compared age at death between eunuchs and bureaucrats within each dynasty using bootstrapped regression models controlling for birth year. Hypothesis 2 analysed a subset of 160 Ming eunuchs with age at court entry, using both linear regression and puberty-threshold models, with age at court entry used as a proxy for age at castration.Results Tang eunuchs showed a modest but statistically significant advantage over bureaucrats (+3.02 years, p = 0.005), whereas no significant difference was observed in the Ming sample. Earlier court entry did not predict greater longevity in either the linear regression or puberty-threshold models.Conclusion The survival effects of castration in humans appeared modest and context-dependent rather than uniformly beneficial and were shaped by broader biosocial and mortality conditions.
Background The external ear is important in forensic investigations because of its complex morphology and distinctive physical characteristics. Although ear morphology exhibits sex-related variation, its value for sex estimation remains uncertain.Aim To compare the ability of human observers and a machine learning model to extract sex-related information from ear images.Subjects and methods A balanced independent test set of 60 ear images (30 female, 30 male) was evaluated by 401 participants from the general population and by a machine learning model trained on a separate dataset of 500 images (250 female, 250 male).Results Human observers achieved 53.1% accuracy, with higher accuracy for female ears (60.2%) than male ears (39.8%). The machine learning model achieved 63.3% accuracy, with sensitivities of 83.3% for female ears and 43.3% for male ears, showing the same tendency towards higher performance for female ears.Conclusions Under the conditions examined, isolated ear images provided limited discriminatory information for sex estimation. Although the machine learning model achieved numerically higher accuracy than untrained human observers, neither approach achieved sufficient accuracy to support the use of isolated ear images as a standalone method for forensic sex estimation.
BACKGROUND Population-specific physical fitness references are essential for monitoring growth, health, and functional capacity during childhood and adolescence. AIM To develop sex- and age-specific smoothed percentile curves for health-related physical fitness indicators among children and adolescents in Kazakhstan. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data were collected from 8,158 children and adolescents aged 9-17 years from 20 schools located in 10 regions of Kazakhstan between October 2023 and October 2025. Standardised field-based protocols were used to assess anthropometry, muscular strength, speed, coordination, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Percentile curves (P3-P97) were generated using the LMS method within a GAMLSS framework to ensure biologically plausible smoothing across age. RESULTS Most performance indicators increased with age in both sexes, whereas relative aerobic capacity showed a gradual decline. The resulting references provide regionally representative normative values that may assist educational and health professionals in monitoring youth fitness and identifying deviations from expected developmental trajectories. Because the sample covers approximately half of Kazakhstan's regions and consists predominantly of ethnic Kazakh participants, the results should be interpreted as multi-regional reference standards rather than nationally representative norms. CONCLUSION These findings contribute to global comparative datasets and highlight the importance of population-specific fitness references influenced by environmental, cultural, and behavioural factors.
