PALEONTOLOGIA

I EVOLUCI, memria especial n3 (2009), p. 37-38

I Iberian Symposium on Geometric Morphometrics, Sabadell, July 23-25, 2009

Proximal femur shape in pre-pubertal boys and girls: Relationship with physical activity and body composition
Graa CARDADEIR01, Ftima BAPTISTA1,Vera ZYMBAL1 & Lus Azevedo RODRIGUES2

Osteoporosis order, despite

can be seen as a paediatric disits geriatrics consequences, be-

and (2) the relationship between physical activity, body composition, and chilorens shape. Geometric morphometric ing Cartesian transformation femur geometry overcoming measurements proximal femur analyses includ-

cause most of bone mass and size is acquired during childhood and adolescence period. Investigations indicated that physical activity may increase bone mass and size (BASS et ai., 2002; SUNDBERG are associated et ai., 2002), suggesting thereby increasing In the bone resistance, that bone changes loading.

grids computed uslimitations of linear Individual boys

ing thin-plate splines were used to study proximal in capturing geometry.

proximal femur images of 48 pre-pubertal

with mechanical

(age: 8.60.4 yrs; bone age: 9.0 1.1 yrs; height: 1.340.07 m; BMI: 18.1 3.1 Kg/m2) and 40 girls (age: 8.50.4 yrs; bone age: 8.61. yrs; height: 1.320.05 m; BMI: 17.02.6 Kg/m2), were ob(DXA), tained by dual energy x ray absorptiometry

context of the evaluation of hip fracture risk, femoral neck geometry is an essential element in determining bone strength, and a number of recent studies have shown how it can affect the likelihood of fracture (MICHELOTTI & CLARK, 1999; et ai., 2002). (linear meais also BERGOT et ai., 2002; CRABTREE happen .particularly during growth

and fourteen landmarks were digitized to identify proximal femoral shape (PFS). With TPSRelw version 1.45 (ROHLF, 2007), a consensus configuration of the proximal femur was obtained and partial and relative warps were determined. Evaluation of body weight, lean and fat mass, bone mineral content and density (BMC and BMD) of femoral neck and left leg were performed with DXA. Physical

Considering that changes in geometric properties sures and/or shape) and that childhood

the most physically active period, the main purposes of this study were to analyse (1) the shape of proximal femur in pre-pubertal boys and girls

L Exercise and Health Laboratory, Faculty ofHuman Movement, Technical University ofLisbon. Estrada da Costa, 1499-002 Cruz-Quebrada, Lisbon (Portugal). E-mail: g.cardadeiro@sapo.pt;fbaptista@fmh.utl.pt;verazymbal@gmail.com 2. Henriques Nogueira Secondary School, Rua Henriques Nogueira, 2560-341, Torres Vedras (Portugal). E-mail: paleovouga@ gmail.com

activity was assessed with accelerometry. age was determined

Bone

by the TW3 method (TAN-

REFERENCES BASS, S.L., SAXON, L., DAL Y, R.M., TURNER, C.H., ROBLlNG, A.G., SEEMAN, E. & STUCKEY, S. (2002). The eftect of mechanical loading on the size and shape of bone in pre-, peri-, and postpubertal girls: A study in tennis players. J. Bone Miner. Res., 17: 2274-2280. BERGOT, C., BOUSSON, V., MEUNIER, A., LAVAL-JEANTET, M. & LAREDO, J.D. 2002. Hip fracture risk and proximal femur geometry from DXA scans. Osteoporos Int., 13:542-550. CRABTREE, N.J., KROGER, H., MARTIN, A., POLS, H.A., LORENC, R., NIJS, J., STEPAN, J.J., FALCH, JA, MIAZGOWSKI, T., GRAZIO, A., S., RAPTOU, P., ADAMS, J., COLLlNGS,

NER et aI., 2001). The results showed that the first two relative warps (RW) accounted for 54% of the total variation of PFS in both genders. RW1 accounted for 33% in boys and 30% in girls of total PFS variation. The main identified shape variation observed along the two relative warps was assoeiated to the width and the hip axis length of femoral neck, in both genders. Regression analysis demonstrated that body composition variables (body weight, fat and lean mass, and BMC or BMD), and bone age, explained 4-9% (p:::;0.02), of the PFS variation observed in both genders. In boys, also body height andmoderate ity were significant physical activpredictors of proximal femur (p<0.001), while in girls

KHAW, K.-T., RUSHTON, N., LUNT, M., DIXON, A.K. & REEVE, J., (2002). Improving risk assessment: Hip geometry, bone mineral distribution and bone strength in hip fracture cases and controls. The EPOS study. Osteoporos Int., 13:48-54. MICHELOTTI, J. & CLARK, J. (1999). Femoral neck length and hip fracture risk. J. Bone Miner. Res., 14: 1714-1720. SUNDBERG, M., GARDSELL, P., JOHNELL, O., E., SANDSTboys and KARLSSON, M.K., ORNSTEIN,

shape variation, accounting for 5 and 9%, respectively, of PFS variation only sedentary time accounted for 7% (p<0.001). Advanced somatic maturity was associated with a wider and longer proximal femur shape in both genders. Moderate physical activity in boys and sedentary time in girls were positively associated with a wider proxirnal femur. Concluding, proximal femur shape variation in 8-9 yrs old boys and girls seemed to be mainly due to difterences in femoral neck width and length, which could be in part determined by maturity levei, expressed by bone age or body composition, but also by physical (in) activity. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding nology by Portuguese and Science POCI and TechPOCTI/ Foundation 2010,

EDT, B., SERNBO, I. (2002). Physical activity increases bone size in prepubertal bone mass in prepubertal cross-sectional girls: A combined

and 3-years longitudinal study. of

Calcif. Tissue Int., 71: 406-415. ROHLF, F.J: (2007). Tps series. Department Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York. <http://life.bio. sunysb.edu/morph/. TANNER, J. M. et aI, (2001). Assessment of skeletal maturity and prediction London: W B Saunders. of adult height.

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