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It has been postulated that symmetric faces are considered more attractive than asymmetric ones because symmetry may signal high quality due to developmental stability. However, other studies showed that both symmetric and slightly asymmetric faces are considered attractive. Here we aim to explore this discrepancy, beginning with the analysis of the normal prevalence of facial symmetry in a population as a necessary first step prior to any attractiveness assessment.
We collected facial landmarks from two-dimensional digital images of a sample of Mexican individuals (280 females and 285 males aged 18–68 years) that were analyzed using geometric morphometric methods. Then, we chose a subsample of 100 photographs (50 females and 50 males aged 18–27 years) selected to represent a broad range of asymmetrical variation, in order to evaluate attractiveness using a sex-opposite test. Finally, we analyzed the linear correlation between attractiveness and asymmetry.
We found that every evaluated subject presents some degree of facial asymmetry, and that both fluctuating asymmetry and directional asymmetry were significant (P < 0.0001) components of total facial asymmetry. Fluctuating asymmetry was slightly associated with age (r = 0.0858, P = 0.0414) and there were no differences between geographical regions (P = 0.413). Attractiveness was not correlated to levels of asymmetry in either sex (males: P = 0.0973; females P = 0.7415).
Asymmetry was a prevalent feature in the present sample, and preferences for symmetric faces were not operating in the studied population. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To assess the effect of parental age at childbirth on insulin sensitivity and other metabolic outcomes in overweight middle-aged males.
We studied 73 men aged 46.0±5.4 years, who were overweight (body mass index, BMI 25–30 kg/m2) but otherwise healthy. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by the Matsuda method from an oral glucose tolerance test. Other assessments included dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived body composition, lipid profile, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, and carotid intima-media thickness. Maternal and paternal ages were highly correlated (r = 0.71; P < 0.0001), and the main parameter of interest in this study was the mean parental age at childbirth (MPAC), calculated as the average of maternal and paternal ages.
Increasing MPAC was associated with a continuous increase in insulin sensitivity (β = 0.193; P = 0.008), as well as reductions in insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; β = −0.064; P = 0.011), fasting insulin (β = −0.221; P = 0.018) and fasting glucose (β = −0.030; P = 0.033) concentrations. Increasing MPAC was also associated with reductions in night time systolic (β = −0.500; P = 0.020) and diastolic (β = −0.325; P = 0.047) blood pressure, as well as with improved (greater) nocturnal diastolic blood pressure dipping (β = 0.413; P = 0.046). Subgroup analyses on participants of European descent (n = 64) showed that increasing MPAC was associated with reduced carotid intima-media thickness (β = −0.008; P = 0.018) and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (β = −0.042; P = 0.028).
Increasing parental age at childbirth was associated with a more favorable metabolic phenotype in overweight middle-aged males. However, it is unknown whether the effect was maternal, paternal, or both. Future studies on the effects of parental age at childbirth on the metabolism of males and females across the BMI range are required. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Accompong Town Maroons are descendants of enslaved Africans who successfully waged war against British colonial rule and established an independent community in western Jamaica. There are discrepancies regarding Accompong Town Maroon ancestry with some scholars noting ancestry from both Africans and Taínos, Jamaica's indigenous population, while other scholars only acknowledge African ancestry. We considered the mitochondrial lineages of contemporary Accompong Town Maroons to address the question of ancestral origins.
We sequenced a section of the mitochondrial DNA control region (np 16,024–16,569) and genotyped a panel of hierarchically selected haplogroup diagnostic SNPs for 50 individuals with genealogical ties to Accompong Town. Mitochondrial haplotypes were also compared with publically available Jamaican mitochondrial haplotypes using an exact test as well as haplotypes within the EMPOP public database to further access biogeographic origins.
L-type mitochondrial haplogroups were observed in 96% of samples, and the remaining 4% belonged to haplogroup B2. Haplotype diversity was 0.922 (SD = 0.024) and not significantly different than the comparable Jamaican population. Of the two B2 haplotypes, one matched haplotypes throughout the Americas and East Asia and the other matched only in East Asia. These results suggest both African and indigenous American maternal ancestries within Accompong Town.
Our data suggested that the maternal ancestry of contemporary Accompong Town Maroons is predominantly African and, despite claims to suggest otherwise, also indigenous American. Our study complemented Maroon oral histories, archeological data, and illuminated how colonization shaped human genetic variation within the Caribbean. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adult body mass (MB) empirically scales as height (Ht) squared (MB ∝ Ht2), but does regional body mass and body composition as a whole also scale as Ht2? This question is relevant to a wide range of biological topics, including interpretation of body mass index (BMI).
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to quantify regional body mass [head (MH), trunk, arms, and legs] and whole-body composition [fat, lean soft tissue (LST), and bone mineral content (BMC)] in non-Hispanic (NH) white, NH black, Mexican American, and Korean adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; n = 17,126) and Korean NHANES (n = 8,942). Regression models were developed to establish Ht scaling powers for each measured component with adjustments for age and adiposity.
Exploratory analyses revealed a consistent scaling pattern across men and women of the four population groups: regional mass powers, head (∼0.8–1) < arms and trunk (∼1.8–2.3) < legs (∼2.3–2.6); and body composition, LST (∼2.0–2.3) < BMC (∼2.1–2.4). Small sex and population differences in scaling powers were also observed. As body mass scaled uniformly across the eight sex and population groups as Ht∼2, tall and short subjects differed in body shape (e.g., MH/MB ∝ Ht−∼1) and composition.
Adult human body shape and relative composition are a function of body size as represented by stature, a finding that reveals a previously unrecognized phenotypic heterogeneity as defined by BMI. These observations provide new pathways for exploring mechanisms governing the interrelations between adult stature, body morphology, biomechanics, and metabolism. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human conception cohorts in gestation during stressful times reportedly yield lower ratios of male to female live births than do other conception cohorts. Much literature attributes this phenomenon to spontaneous abortion of less fit male fetuses. Controversy remains, however, as to whether stressful times make males fetuses less fit ("Shifting Distribution" of fitness) or whether male fetuses need greater fitness to avoid spontaneous abortion during stressful times ("Shifting Criterion" for survival).
Although research using gestational hCG as a signal of fetal fitness reports support for the latter mechanism, we believe an analytic error casts doubt on those findings. Here we offered an alternative test that corrects the error.
This more accurate test found similar results to those originally reported. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The anthropological study of human biology, health, and child development provides a model with potential to address the gap in population-wide mental health interventions. Four key concepts from human biology can inform public mental health interventions: life history theory and tradeoffs, redundancy and plurality of pathways, cascades and multiplier effects in biological systems, and proximate feedback systems. A public mental health intervention for former child soldiers in Nepal is used to illustrate the role of these concepts in intervention design and evaluation. Future directions and recommendations for applying human biology theory in pursuit of public mental health interventions are discussed. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The W. Montague Cobb skeletal collection, mainly comprised of African Americans living in Washington, DC, before 1969, is an important collection for human biological studies of the African Diaspora. This article outlines the process of constructing an improved study sample for biocultural analysis by merging skeletal remains from the collection with their associated texts. The merging allows for the inclusion of individuals from the original series for whom we no longer have skeletons. We argue that this step is necessary to construct a data set that reflects the demographic breadth (age, ethnicity, social class) of the original collection, taking into account a substantial number of skeletons lost during storage and disuse. The mechanics of this process were informed by a critical and humanistic orientation toward human biological study built upon the following premises: (1) scientific investigation is not an objective or passive practice, nor must it be; and, (2) relevant publically accessible human biological research requires competence with social justice issues, as well as previous and current scholarship focused on addressing those issues. This approach to sample construction engages skeletal remains as biological and social products, and enhances the social and translational implications of our research practices. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Contemporary human biology research employs a unique skillset for biocultural analysis. This skillset is highly appropriate for the study of health disparities because disparities result from the interaction of social and biological factors over one or more generations. Health disparities research almost always involves disadvantaged communities owing to the relationship between social position and health in stratified societies. Successful research with disadvantaged communities involves a specific approach, the community partnership model, which creates a relationship beneficial for researcher and community. Paramount is the need for trust between partners. With trust established, partners share research goals, agree on research methods and produce results of interest and importance to all partners. Results are shared with the community as they are developed; community partners also provide input on analyses and interpretation of findings. This article describes a partnership-based, 20 year relationship between community members of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation and researchers at the University at Albany. As with many communities facing health disparity issues, research with Native Americans and indigenous peoples generally is inherently politicized. For Akwesasne, the contamination of their lands and waters is an environmental justice issue in which the community has faced unequal exposure to, and harm by environmental toxicants. As human biologists engage in more partnership-type research, it is important to understand the long term goals of the community and what is at stake so the research circle can be closed and 'helicopter' style research avoided. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The aim of this article was to develop a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and evaluate its validity to estimate habitual protein intake, and investigate current dietary protein intakes of Papua New Guinea (PNG) Highlanders.
A 32-item FFQ was developed and tested among 135 healthy male and female volunteers. The FFQ-estimated daily total and animal protein intakes were compared with biomarkers and 3-day Weighed Food Records (WFR) by correlation analyses, Bland–Altman plot analyses and joint classification analyses.
The FFQ-estimated total protein intake significantly correlated with urinary nitrogen in the first morning void after adjusting urinary creatinine concentration (r = 0.28, P < 0.01) and the FFQ-estimated animal protein intake significantly correlated with the hair δ15N (Spearman's r = 0.34, P < 0.001). The limits of agreement were ±2.39 Z-score residuals for total protein intake and ±2.19 Z-score for animal protein intake, and intra-individual differences increased as protein intake increased. The classification into the same and adjacent quartiles was 66.0% for total protein intake and 73.6% for animal protein intake. Median daily total and animal protein intake estimates from the FFQ and the 3-day WFR showed a good agreement with differences of 0.2 and 4.9 g, respectively. None of the studied communities in the PNG Highlands met the biologically required protein intake; although the community closer to an urban center showed higher protein intake than the more remote communities.
The newly developed 32-item FFQ for PNG Highlanders is applicable for evaluation of protein intake at the individual level. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To determine if reducing the frequency of urinary sample collection from daily to 5, 3, or 2 days per week during a menstrual cycle or 28-day amenorrheic monitoring period provide accurate representations of the reproductive hormone metabolites estrone-1-glucuronide (E1G) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) exposure and mean concentrations.
Exercising women presenting with eumenorrhea or exercise-associated menstrual disturbances collected daily urine samples for the assessment of E1G and PdG concentrations. After enzyme immunoassay analysis of the daily samples, E1G and PdG data were systematically removed from each menstrual cycle or amenorrheic monitoring period to mimic three reduced collection frequencies, representing 5, 3, and 2 days per week. Exposure and mean concentration were calculated for both hormones and all four urinary collection frequencies.
E1G and PdG exposure and mean cycle concentrations derived from reduced collection frequencies were not different from daily collection (P > 0.05), independent of whether menstrual cycles and monitoring periods were analyzed together or separately. Bland-Altman analysis indicated acceptable agreement between each reduced collection frequency and daily collection.
Compared with daily urinary collection, a reduced collection frequency of 5, 3, or 2 days each week provides accurate E1G and PdG profiles of collection periods of various lengths and types of menstrual function. Reduction of urinary sample collection frequency may enable researchers to reduce participant burden and costs, increase compliance, and study a wider range of study populations. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of menopause in three rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), determine correlates of menopause, and estimate the age of start of menopause in Indian women.
Three rounds of NFHS data collected during 1992–93, 1998–99, and 2005–06 were analyzed. The NFHS was carried out using a uniform sample design all over the country. Age adjusted complex sample analyses, multivariate logistic regression, and probit analysis were carried out.
The prevalence of menopause (natural and surgical) remained similar from 1992–93 to 2005–06 among Indian women. A higher prevalence and earlier onset of menopause was associated with farming, no education, belonging to a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe, underweight, higher parity, and motherhood before 16 years of age. The age of the start of menopause did not increase much from the first to third round of NFHS.
Women of poor socio-economic status have an earlier age at menopause and may be unable to utilize their full reproductive potential. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The obesity epidemic in Mexico is increasing and represents a considerable public health challenge. The population aged 50 years and older is also increasing and is not exempt from the obesity rise. We aimed to determine the current prevalence of Body Mass Index (BMI) categories in a sample of Mexicans aged 50 years and older and to test the associations of BMI with physical activity categories and related factors.
Data from 2,032 individuals aged 50 years and older who participated in SAGE Wave 1 (2009–2010) were analyzed. Representativeness of the sample was obtained by using weighted data. Descriptive statistics, chi square tests, simple regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed in relation to BMI, self-reported physical activity categories, and several variables, including demographic characteristics and selected risk factors for non-communicable diseases.
Among older adults, 0.6% was found to be underweight, 21.4% normal weight, 49.4% overweight, and 28.7% obese. It was also found that practicing vigorous intensity physical activity (−1.32) and being 80 years or older (−2.73) were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with a lower mean BMI (28.3). In contrast, being in the lowest income quintile (1.35), and living in urban areas (0.86) were significantly associated with a higher mean BMI.
The study results contribute to the current understanding of obesity etiology in Mexico, and moreover confirm that overweight and obesity are current public health problems that must be addressed in specific subgroups of older adults. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Introducing a special issue on "Translating Human Biology," we pose two basic questions: Is human biology addressing the most critical challenges facing our species? How can the processes of translating our science be improved and innovated?
We analyze articles published in American Journal of Human Biology from 2004–2013, and find there is very little human biological consideration of issues related to most of the core human challenges such as water, energy, environmental degradation, or conflict. There is some focus on disease, and considerable focus on food/nutrition. We then introduce this special volume with reference to the following articles that provide exemplars for the process of how translation and concern for broader context and impacts can be integrated into research.
Human biology has significant unmet potential to engage more fully in translation for the public good, through consideration of the topics we focus on, the processes of doing our science, and the way we present our domain expertise. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Studies from developed societies have shown that individuals with short legs relative to height have higher risk of type 2 diabetes. This has been much less explored in less developed populations where influences on relative leg length and diabetes may differ. The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (in Portuguese, ELSA-Brasil) allows us to test, in a cohort born (1934–1975) and raised when undernutrition was common, whether short legs relative to height is positively associated with diabetes, independent of early-life factors, including birth weight, age at menarche, and young-adult BMI.
We used baseline, cross-sectional data from 15,105 participants aged 35–74 years participating in ELSA-Brasil. We created age-and-sex-specific Z scores for leg length index (leg length/height × 100) according to an external reference. Diabetes was defined by self-reported physician diagnosis, medication use, fasting and 2-h post-75-g-load glucose, and A1C.
A one-unit decrement in leg-length-index Z score was associated with 12% (8–17%) higher prevalence of diabetes in Brazilian adults, after adjustment through Poisson regression for confounders, including race, maternal education, and birth weight. This association persisted after further adjustment for menarche age, BMI (at age 20), buttocks circumference, and waist circumference. It was stronger among women with early menarche (P interaction = 0.02). Leg length index was also inversely associated with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, 2-h glucose, and A1C (P < 0.05).
In contemporary Brazilian adults, short legs relative to height is positively associated with diabetes independent of measures of intrauterine growth, pubertal timing, and young-adult adiposity. This association is stronger in women with early menarche. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
While indexes have been proposed to estimate total and abdominal adiposity in adults, the assessment of adiposity among obese adolescents remains difficult in clinical setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of total and visceral and fat mass indexes in obese adolescents.
One hundred and thirty, 12–16 year old obese adolescents were enrolled in the study. Anthropometric characteristics [Height, weight, waist (WC), and hip (HC) circumferences] were measured and body composition assessed by Dual X-Ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessed. High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) and Triglycerides (TG) plasma concentrations were assessed from fasting blood samples. Body Adiposity indexes (BAI) were calculated from formulas taking into account, height, weight, and WC, and for the Visceral Adiposity indexes, a formula including WC, HDL-C, and TG.
Both the BAI and Pediatric Body Adiposity Index (BAIp) were significantly correlated to the percentage of total body fat assessed by DXA (DXA %FM; P < 0.001; r = 0.67 and r = 0.64, respectively). The best concordance with DXA %FM was found using BAI. The Visceral Adiposity Index was only weakly associated with abdominal fat mass assessed by DXA (r = 0.27, P < 0.01) and only significantly in boys (r = 0.41, P < 0.01) when the analysis was performed by gender.
The BAI initially developed in adults presented a better but still weak association with DXA-%FM when compared with the BAIw and BAIp. The three indices thus do not provide better estimate of obese adolescents' adiposity than the widely used Body Mass Index. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mutation-selection balance theory proposes that a balance of forces between constantly arising mildly harmful mutations and selection causes variation in genetic configuration and phenotypic condition. As mutations are predominantly deleterious, the entry of variation due to mutations is kept at low frequencies by selection. It has recently been demonstrated that nearly all de novo mutation are caused by paternal age.
We examined on basis of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (n = 6,182) whether a subject's probability of having ever married as well as having ever reproduced is associated with that subject's father's age at subject's birth.
We find that advanced paternal but not maternal age at subject's birth predicts a lower chance of ever being married and a higher chance of childlessness, even controlling for various confounders.
As marriage is a prerequisite of reproduction in this sample, we discuss that mate choice may provide a mechanism to prevent too high mutation load in the progeny. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cortisol levels exhibit a diurnal rhythm in healthy men, with peaks in the morning and troughs in the evening. Throughout age, however, this rhythm tends to flatten. This diurnal flattening has been demonstrated in a majority of industrialized populations, although the results have not been unanimous. Regardless, little attention has been paid to nonindustrialized, foraging populations such as the Ache Amerindians of Paraguay. As testosterone levels had previously been shown to diminish with age in this population (Bribiescas and Hill [2010]: Am J Hum Biol 22: 216–220), we hypothesized that cortisol levels would behave similarly, flattening in rhythmicity over age.
We examined morning and evening salivary cortisol samples in Ache Amerindian men in association with age (n = 40, age range 20–64 years).
Men in the first age class (<20–29 years) exhibited significantly different morning (AM) and evening (PM) values as did men in the second age class (30–39 years). However, men in the third and fourth age classes (40–49 years, and >50 years, respectively) did not exhibit a significant difference between AM and PM values.
Ache Amerindian men exhibit a flattening of the diurnal rhythm across age classes. Our results were able to capture both within- and between-individual variations in cortisol levels, and reflected age-related contrasts in daily cortisol fluctuations. The flattening of the diurnal rhythm with age among the Ache may reflect a common and shared aspect of male senescence across ecological contexts and lifestyles. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We conducted stable isotope and dietary analyses of women from higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups in Cali, Colombia. The objectives were to test between-group differences in stable isotope, dietary, and anthropometric characteristics, and to evaluate relationships between diet and stable isotope values.
Hair samples from 38 women (mean age 33.4) from higher and lower SES groups were analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values. Dietary intake was assessed via 24-h recalls. Anthropometric variables measured were body mass index, five body circumferences, and six skinfold thicknesses.
Mean δ13C and δ15N values of the higher SES group (−16.4 and 10.3‰) were significantly greater than those of the lower SES group (−17.2 and 9.6‰; P < 0.01), but mean δ34S values did not differ significantly between groups (higher SES: 4.6‰; lower SES: 5.1‰). The higher SES group consumed a greater percentage of protein than the lower SES group (14% vs. 12% of energy; P = 0.03), but the groups did not differ in other dietary characteristics or in anthropometric characteristics. δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values were not correlated with intake of the dietary items predicted (sugars, animal-source protein, and marine foods, respectively). The lower SES group was more variable in all three stable isotope values (P < 0.05), mirroring a trend toward greater dietary variability in this group.
Stable isotope values revealed a difference between SES groups that was not explained by the dietary data. The relationship between diet and stable isotope composition is complex. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This study presents information about secular trends in physical fitness (PF) levels among Mozambican youth.
The sample comprises 3,851 subjects (1,791 boys; 2,060 girls) aged 8–15 years who were evaluated at three time points (1992, 1999, 2012). PF tests included handgrip strength, 10 m × 5 m shuttle-run, sit-and-reach, and 1-mile run/walk. Biological maturity was assessed by sexual characteristics, and percentage body fat was predicted using triceps and subscapular skinfolds. ANCOVA (controlling for age, maturity status, and percentage body fat) was used to compare mean differences in PF tests among the three time points, by sex.
Children in 1992 were more flexible than those from 2012; boys handgrip strength increased from 1992 to 2012, while girls decreased their handgrip strength; youth in 1992 were faster and more agile than their 2012 peers; and a decrease was observed in cardiorespiratory fitness between 1992 and 1999 and between 1992 and 2012 for both sexes.
A negative secular trend among Mozambican children's PF was observed over the last two decades, suggesting that socio-political, educational, and economical changes occurring during this period had a relevant effect on their PF. This negative trend suggests that development of intervention programs/strategies to improve PF among youth is warranted. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To explore the 2D:4D in China (mainland and Taiwan) and to analyze the influences of ethnicity, digit measurement methods, age, and latitude on Chinese 2D:4D.
We here conducted a meta-analysis of the results of 28 studies. A total of 112 independent samples and 19,093 participants were included.
The sex difference in left 2D:4D only approached significance when outliers were removed (P = 0.078), whereas the right 2D:4D was significantly lower in males compared to females, showing that the magnitude of sex difference was greater for the right hand than for the left hand. No significant differences were found in the 2D:4D between Han and ethnic minorities. The 2D:4D of samples measured using indirect digit measurement tended to be lower than in samples measured using direct digit measurement. Moreover, there were no effects of age and latitude on the 2D:4D in China.
We concluded that the sex differences in Chinese 2D:4D are consistent with the results from western studies, and that genetic pool differences rather than latitude-related environmental variables affect the 2D:4D in China. In addition, 2D:4D measurements obtained by different digit measurement techniques should not be combined within one study, or used together in comparative studies. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Several empirical studies point out the relevance of individuals' physical attributes—such as height, weight, beauty—in the labor market. In the same way, physical characteristics may affect lifetime prospects through their impact on the selection of a partner in the marriage market. We analyzed to what extent an individual's height and weight (arguably affecting physical attractiveness, as documented in many studies) are related to lifetime economic outcomes through the marriage market, investigating whether individual height and weight affect the probability of marrying with a "high-quality partner," measuring quality as the partner's educational attainment or as the partner's prospective labor income.
Using a large Italian dataset of married (and cohabiting) couples—the 2005 Italian Health Conditions Survey which provides information on health conditions, individual characteristics, and socioeconomic variables—we estimated separate OLS and Ordered Probit regressions for females and males. Since weight might be endogenously determined, to avoid any estimation bias we also estimated a reduced form equation in which predetermined height affects directly and indirectly (through BMI) physical attractiveness and, as a consequence, the choice of a partner with a given educational attainment.
Our findings suggest that height is a desirable trait in mating selection affecting the partner's socioeconomic characteristics: we found that taller individuals tended to mate with more educated partners, controlling for their own educational level—to take into account the tendency for assortative mating for education—and for other personal traits such as age, geographical residence, city size, and the presence of health problems. On the other hand, we showed that individuals with higher BMI were married to partners with lower levels of education. The results also provide evidence of non-linearity in the relationship between height and educational attainment of the partner. These findings are confirmed for both males and females, but being taller seems to be more relevant for males, while being thinner is more important for females. We have also found that taller and thinner females and males tend to be married with partners earning higher labor incomes. These findings were robust to a number of checks.
Our findings confirm that the physical characteristics that an individual brings to the marriage market influences the outcome in this market: physical attractiveness is exchanged in the marriage market for a higher educational attainment and the ability to earn a higher labor income. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Skinfold thicknesses (SFT) have long been considered important and valid measurements of subcutaneous fat. The present study reported the percentiles and regional distribution of SFT among children and adolescents in Shandong, China.
Data for this study were obtained from a large cross-sectional survey of schoolchildren. A total of 42,268 students (21,200 boys and 21,068 girls) aged 7–18 years from 16 districts participated in this study. Triceps, subscapular, and abdomen SFT of all subjects were measured.
Shandong children and adolescents had a high SFT level and substantial regional disparities in SFT were observed. Boys and girls resident in high socioeconomic status (SES) districts had higher SFT level than those living in moderate and low SES districts.
The SFT level of children and adolescents is associated with regional SES in Shandong, China. This may be interpreted as a result of geographic variation between the districts in the process of urbanization, living standards, nutritional conditions, dietary patterns, and public health. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This multi-center study was conducted to objectively evaluate energy expenditure and physical activity (PA) patterns on school days and weekends in urban 11-year-olds.
The sample consisted of 241 children from three cities: Zagreb, Ljubljana (both in Central Europe) and Ann Arbor (United States). Energy expenditure and PA were assessed during two school days and two weekend days using a multiple-sensor body monitor.
Differences between the cities were observed for all PA variables. The highest level of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was noted in Ljubljana boys [284 (98) min/day] and the lowest in Zagreb girls [179 (95) min/day]. In Zagreb and Ljubljana, boys were more physically active than girls, while in Ann Arbor the opposite was observed. In contrast, no gender difference in sedentary behavior was observed in any of the cities. A decline in PA from school days to weekends was noted in all city groups in both genders. However, the magnitude of the reduction in daily energy expenditure differed between the cities, with the largest differences being observed in Ljubljana and the smallest in Ann Arbor. In all three city groups, the great majority of boys and girls achieved current recommendations of 60 min of MVPA either during school days or weekends.
Weekends seem to be an appropriate target when promoting PA in 11-year-olds in all the cities included in the study. Increasing vigorous activity on weekends seems to be of particular importance in Zagreb and Ljubljana. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Extended Mechanistic Growth Function (EMGF) method (Clementi et al. [1999]: Am J Med Genet 87:317–323) is a possible alternative to the Cole and Green LMS method ([1992] Stat Med 11:1305-1319) to construct cross-sectional anthropometric charts. It differs from the technique used by Kuczmarski et al. ([2002]: Vital Health Stat 11:1–190) to trace the CDC growth charts in that all centiles are simultaneously fitted with a single function. The aim of this study is to show how an EMGF model can be designed.
To illustrate the structure and properties of the EMGF method, the data of the Italian Neonatal Study (Bertino et al. [2010]: J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 51:353–361) were analyzed. The dataset included the birth weight of 45,272 single liveborn babies with gestational ages ranging from 23 to 42 weeks. The EMGF method consists of three steps. In the preliminary step, selected age-dependent raw centiles of the anthropometric trait are computed. In the smoothing step, all centiles are simultaneously fitted with a growth function extended with the inclusion of a few extra parameters. In the transformation step, estimates of the age-dependent L (skewness), M (median), and S (coefficient of variation) parameters are derived.
A four-parameter generalized logistic function, extended with five parameters to model between-sex differences, distance between centiles and their slope, was found to fit the raw centiles of birth weight distribution with a residual standard deviation of 51.3 g.
The EMGF method represents a bridge to link cross-sectional and longitudinal studies and allows us to identify milestones of the median growth in a population in the same way used for individual profiles. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Police officers have a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is known to increase CVD risk. Leptin and adiponectin may be related to CVD health. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the relationship between these variables and HRV.
Leptin and adiponectin levels were measured in 388 officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study. HRV was assessed according to methods published by the Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing Electrophysiology for measurement and analysis of HRV. Mean values of high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) HRV were compared across tertiles of leptin and adiponectin using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance; trends were assessed using linear regression models.
Leptin, but not adiponectin, was significantly and inversely associated with HRV. Body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat significantly modified the association between leptin and LF (but not HF) HRV. Among officers with BMI < 25 kg/m2, leptin was not significantly associated with HRV. However, among officers with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, leptin was inversely associated with HRV, after adjustment for age, gender, and race/ethnicity; HF HRV, P = 0.019 and LF HRV, P < 0.0001. Similarly, among officers with percent body fat ≥ 25.5%, leptin and LF HRV showed significant, inverse associations (adjusted P = 0.001).
Leptin levels were inversely associated with LF HRV, especially among officers with increased adiposity. Increased leptin levels may be associated with CVD-related health problems. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Obesity is treated within medicine, public health, and applied sciences as a biomedical fact with urgent health implications; obesity is also, however, a social fact and one that reveals biomedical concerns can lead to social suffering. Translation of social science-oriented obesity research for broader public good requires navigation of the space between these polemical and seemingly mutually exclusive positions.
Using examples from our own current programs of biocultural research, we explain the opportunities and ongoing challenges of efforts to bridge the chasm between critique and intervention when the topic under discussion is obesity. The examples range from cross-population analyses of human variation and the implications for how we measure and classify obesity to biocultural research into fat-stigma to translational research conducted as part of a larger collaboration across multiple institutions.
Translation of social science-oriented obesity research for broader public good requires collaborative work across disciplines and fields, as well as between academics, professionals working in public health and medicine, policy makers, and other key stakeholders. Translation efforts must acknowledge and develop practical programs addressing the "obesity crisis," but also are compelled to question core assumptions upon which obesity-reduction interventions have thus far been based. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Low bone density and osteoporosis prevalence, while well-documented in wealthy nations, are poorly studied in rural, non-clinical contexts in economically developing regions such as Latin America. This study contributes preliminary osteoporosis risk data for a rural Colono (mestizo) population from Amazonian Ecuador.
Anthropometrics were collected for 119 adult participants (74 females, 45 males [50–90 years old]). Heel bone density and T-scores were recorded using calcaneal ultrasonometry
Approximately, 33.6% of the participants had low bone density and were at high-risk for osteoporosis. Four times as many females as males were considered high-risk. Consistent with epidemiological literature, advancing age was significantly associated with lower bone density values (P = 0.001).
Low bone density and osteoporosis prevalence are expected to increase in this and other economically transitioning populations, yet infrastructure to monitor this changing epidemiological landscape is almost non-existent. Human biologists are uniquely positioned to contribute data from remote populations, a critical step toward initiating increased resource allocation for diagnosis and prevention. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Digit ratio (2D:4D), a measure of prenatal testosterone exposure, is weakly-to-moderately associated with increased physical performance, although the evidence is far stronger for males than females.
To examine the relationship between 2D:4D and measured on-water rowing performance in young females competing at the Australian Rowing Championships.
Using an observational, cross-sectional design, female rowers (n = 69, aged 12–30 years) who competed in single sculls events at the Australian Rowing Championships in 2007 and 2008 had numerous physical and digital anthropometric measurements taken, including 2D:4D measurements. Relationships between 2D:4Ds and race times were examined using Pearson's correlations, partial correlations and multiple regression. Partial Least Squares regression analysis determined the strength of the 2D:4D as a predictor of race time relative to 78 body dimensions plus age.
Overall, weak to strong positive correlations between 2D:4D and race time were found; that is, females with smaller 2D:4Ds had faster race times than females with larger 2D:4Ds. Relationships were weak to moderate for all females (r = 0.29–0.32), moderate-to-strong for senior rowers (aged ≥20 years; r = 0.42–0.55), and weak for junior rowers (aged <20 years; r = 0.13–0.18), with all relationships persisting following adjustment for age. Partial Least Squares regression analysis showed that 2D:4Ds had high predictive importance relative to other body dimensions.
Females with smaller 2D:4Ds rowed substantially faster than females with larger 2D:4Ds, with the 2D:4D possibly linked to underlying characteristics that have been optimized over time resulting in better rowing performance. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To investigate whether having multiple risk factors for cardio-metabolic disease is associated with objectively measured physical activity or sedentary behavior within a sample of Yakut (Sakha) of Siberia.
This cross sectional study involved 63 Yakut adults (32 men) who were measured for cardio-metabolic risk factors. Free living physical activity and sedentary behavior were calculated from waist accelerometry. Correlations and t-tests were used to assess the relationship between moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB), and individual risk factors and clustering of risk factors.
These Yakut were physically active, with 54.4% spending at least 30 min in MVPA, with men being more active than women and women having less favorable cardio-metabolic profiles. These Yakut spent about 7.5 h in SB a day. SB was not related to cardio-metabolic risk factors. MVPA was significantly and negatively related to waist circumference and risk factor clustering in men and the total sample. MVPA was not related to women's risk factors.
Objectively measured physical activity was related to lower risk of cardio-metabolic risk factor clustering within this sample of Yakut men, but not women. SB was not related to cardio-metabolic indicators. Physical activity may contribute to a reduction in clustering of metabolic risk factors within indigenous circumpolar populations. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinical prevalence of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is high among modern indigenous populations of North America, yet no systematic study of the paleoepidemiology of this group exists. This study discusses the skeletal criteria, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and risk factors of DDH. A range of cases of DDH from an archaeological Native American population are described and the clinical and prehistoric prevalence of DDH among indigenous populations of North America are calculated and discussed within a biocultural perspective.
Pelves of 390 adults from the Late Prehistoric (1490 B.P. ± 70) Buffalo site, West Virginia, were examined for DDH. Morphology of true and false acetabula was classified and other changes of the pelvis, lower limb, and spine were noted along with cranial deformation, providing evidence of infant restriction. Prevalence of DDH among living and archaeological indigenous peoples of North America were calculated and compared. Cranial deformation was assessed as evidence for swaddling.
DDH was identified in 18 adults from Buffalo, resulting in a minimum prevalence of 46.15 per 1,000, within the range reported in modern indigenous groups in North America. Most, but not all, of the DDH cases were associated with cranial deformation, but not all cases of cranial deformation were associated with DDH.
The etiology of DDH suggests that components of both genetic predisposition and swaddling practices have combined to create a high-risk environment for the development of DDH, contributing to high prevalence within archaeological populations, like Buffalo, and modern Indigenous groups of North America. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This study examined the utility of the Ruiz et al. cut-points when examining body mass index (BMI) and resting blood pressure in young people.
Two hundred fifty-six children (154 girls and 102 boys) aged 7–16 years underwent assessment of BMI, physical maturation, resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and cardiorespiratory fitness using breath by breath gas analysis during treadmill testing to exhaustion.
Results from a series of 2 (fit vs. unfit) × 2 (gender) ways analysis of covariance, controlling for maturation indicated higher SBP in the unfit group compared to the fit group (P = 0.001), higher DBP in the unfit group compared to the fit group (P = 0.04) and higher BMI (in unfit) than fit children (P = 0.0001). Males had significantly higher BMI than females (P = 0.04). Maturation as a covariate was significantly and positively associated with SBP (P = 0.003), DBP (P = 0.004), and BMI (P = 0.001).
This study suggests that the Ruiz et al. cut-points are valid in distinguishing between children with higher and lower BMI and resting BP values. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To quantify changes in the diets of low-income women in Cali, Colombia between 1990–1995 and 2008, a period of increases in body size, and to situate these changes within national-level trends in food availability, as well as to compare these changes with those expected in countries undergoing a nutrition transition.
Individual dietary intake was assessed via 24-hour recalls in both 1990–1995 (n = 85) and 2008 (n = 88). Dietary data were analyzed for intake of energy, macronutrients, and specific food items. National-level trends in food availability were evaluated using data from the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Total energy and protein intake did not change over time, but in 2008 women consumed proportionally more fat (23.0 vs. 19.1% of calories; P = 0.002) and less carbohydrate (66.5 vs. 71.0% of calories; P < 0.001) than in 1990–1995. The increased fat consumption is attributable to vegetable oils. This increase in vegetable oil consumption, and a decrease in starchy vegetable consumption, fit with both national-level trends in food supply, and the expectations of a nutrition transition. On the other hand, the increased consumption of non-starchy vegetables, and the stability in consumption of added sugars and animal-source proteins was contrary to the expectations of a nutrition transition.
The changes in diet among low-income women in Cali, Colombia between 1990–1995 and 2008 partially match national-level trends in food supply and the theoretical expectations of a nutrition transition, but are nonetheless a localized phenomenon. They do not help explain concurrent changes in body size. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Associations between parental and offspring size at birth are well established, but the relative importance of parental growth at different ages as predictors of offspring birthweight is less certain. Here we model parental birthweight and postnatal conditional growth in specific age periods as predictors of offspring birthweight.
We analyzed data from 3,392 adults participating in four prospective birth cohorts and 5,506 of their offspring.
There was no significant heterogeneity by study site or offspring sex. 1SD increase in maternal birthweight was associated with offspring birthweight increases of 102 g, 1SD in maternal length growth 0–2 year with 46 g, and 1SD in maternal height growth Mid-childhood (MC)-adulthood with 27 g. Maternal relative weight measures were associated with 24 g offspring birth weight increases (2 year- MC) and 49 g for MC-adulthood period but not with earlier relative weight 0–2 year. For fathers, birthweight, and linear/length growth from 0–2 year were associated with increases of 57 and 56 g in offspring birthweight, respectively but not thereafter.
Maternal and paternal birthweight and growth from birth to 2 year each predict offspring birthweight. Maternal growth from MC-adulthood, relative weight from 2-MC and MC-adulthood also predict offspring birthweight. These findings suggest that shared genes and/or adequate nutrition during early life for both parents may confer benefits to the next generation, and highlight the importance of maternal height and weight prior to conception. The stronger matrilineal than patrilineal relationships with offspring birth weight are consistent with the hypothesis that improving the early growth conditions of young females can improve birth outcomes in the next generation. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pica is the craving for and consumption of nonfood items, including the ingestion of earth (geophagy), raw starch (amylophagy), and ice (pagophagy). Pica has long been associated with micronutrient deficiencies, but the strength of this relationship is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between pica behavior and the risk of being anemic or having low hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), or plasma zinc (Zn) concentrations.
We systematically reviewed studies in which micronutrient levels were reported by pica status. We calculated the pooled odds ratio for anemia or weighted mean difference in Hb, Hct, or Zn concentrations between groups practicing or not practicing pica behaviors.
Forty-three studies including 6,407 individuals with pica behaviors and 10,277 controls were identified. Pica was associated with 2.35 times greater odds of anemia (95% CI: 1.94–2.85, P < 0.001), lower Hb concentration (−0.65 g/dl, 95% CI: −0.83 to −0.48 g/dl, P < 0.001), lower Hct concentration (−1.15%, 95% CI: −1.61 to −0.70%, P < 0.001), and lower Zn concentration (−34.3 μg/dl, 95% CI: −59.58 to −9.02 μg/dl, P = 0.008). Statistical significance persisted after excluding outliers and in subgroup analyses by pica type and life stage.
Pica is significantly associated with increased risk for anemia and low Hb, Hct, and plasma Zn. Although the direction of the causal relationship between pica and micronutrient deficiency is unknown, the magnitude of these relationships is comparable to other well-recognized causes of micronutrient deficiencies. Pica warrants greater public health attention; specifically the potential physiological mechanisms underpinning the relationship between pica and micronutrient deficiencies merit further study. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
As daily environments change, behavior and activity also change and as blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) are allostatically tied to these factors, one might expect that environments that elicit the greatest behavioral/activity variation should also evince the highest BP and HR variability [standard deviation (SD) or coefficient of variation (CV)]. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this premise.
Two hundred and six women (age = 37.6 ± 9.1 years) wore an ambulatory BP monitor on a midweek workday. All worked in clerical, technical, or professional positions. Ambulatory BP and HR Means, SDs and CVs at work (11 AM–3 PM), home (∼6–10 PM) and during sleep (∼10 PM–6 AM) were compared using repeated measures ANCOVA.
Mean BP and HR decreased from work and home to sleep [121 ± 11, 120 ± 11 vs. 107 ± 12 systolic; 82 ± 10, 80 ± 11 vs. 66 ± 11 diastolic; 79 ± 12, 80 ± 12 vs. 68 ± 11 HR (all P < 0.001)], while the CV of systolic and diastolic BP increased [0.06 ± 0.02, 0.07 ± 0.02 vs. 0.08 ± 0.03 systolic; 0.09 ± 0.03, 0.10 ± 0.04 vs. 0.12 ± 0.05 diastolic (P < 0.001)]. The HR SD decreased during sleep [8.1 ± 3.8, 8.2 ± 3.8 vs. 6.9 ± 3.2 (P < 0.001)].
HR variability follows the expected variability pattern with behavior and activity, whereas BP does not. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To describe the trend in the rate of consanguineous marriages among the Israeli Arab population and to identify factors associated with this custom shift in recent years.
The study was conducted between November 2009 and January 2010 in Family Health Centers. A questionnaire was presented to parents during routine visits to the center with their children.
Information on 6,437 couples was collected. The rate of consanguineous marriages decreased from 35.8% among those married before 2000, to 28.2% among those married in 2000–2004, and to 24.0% among those married in 2005–2009 (P for trend <0.001). First cousin marriages were the most common type of consanguineous marriages in all the time periods. Consanguineous marriages were associated with consanguinity between the couples' parents (both husband and wife), a high consanguinity rate in the place of residence and younger age at marriage (wife).
The rates of consanguineous marriages among Israeli Arabs are decreasing but still high. Because consanguineous marriages are widely acceptable, the role of public health professionals and primary care personnel is to provide comprehensive information about the potential genetic risks of consanguinity on offspring health and to increase the accessibility of premarital and preconception counseling services. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sickness behavior, a suite of behavioral changes subsequent to infection that includes depression, decreased social behaviors, and sleep disturbances, has been well described in model organisms. The phenomenon is relatively unexplored in humans due to methodological difficulties, and hormonal correlates of sickness behavior have not been studied. We therefore attempted to use a vaccine to elicit sickness behaviors outside of a clinical setting and uncover any correlations among testosterone, cortisol, and sickness behavior.
Eleven participants (five male, six female, mean age 22.8 years) naïve to the rabies vaccine were recruited from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. Participants provided daily saliva and urine samples and completed questionnaires to assess mood and social behaviors for a period of 6 weeks. Saliva samples were assayed for cortisol and testosterone. Urine samples were assayed for interleukin-6 and creatinine.
Analysis revealed an expected decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol. While mood did not differ, other behaviors, such as physical activity and hours slept, showed expected changes following vaccination. However, none of these results achieved statistical significance.
Our results, while generally confirming previous research on sickness behavior and hormone changes during infection, are suggestive, but not statistically significant and so neither confirm nor contradict our hypotheses. We attribute this lack of significance to both the small sample size, as well as possible confounding factors, including the psychosocial stress of entering an intensive study program. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The profound socioeconomic processes occurring in developing countries have been accompanied by the notable increase of overweight and obese populations. This study for the first time investigates the impact of area-based socioeconomic status (SES) on adult overweight and obesity for both sexes of Han ethnicity in China.
We investigated 6,221 adult participants of Han ethnicity from 18 geographic areas in China, and measured stature and weight for each participant. The mean annual income per individual was chosen as the area-level SES index. We adopted logistic regression analysis to explore the relationship of area-level SES with overweight and obesity.
The age-adjusted overweight and obesity prevalence was 32.46% for men and 29.27% for women respectively. Substantial area-level SES disparity in overweight and obesity risks for both sexes exist in China. The overweight and obesity prevalence rates increased with increasing SES levels in men rather than in women.
Men living in high SES areas as well as women living at the lowest SES areas were most likely to be at the highest risk of overweight and obesity in China. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human growth research requires knowledge of longitudinal statistical methods that can be analytically challenging. Even the assessment of growth between two ages is not as simple as subtracting the first measurement from the second, for example. This article provides an overview of the key analytical strategies available to human biologists in increasing order of complexity, starting with a review on how to express cross-sectional measurements of size, before covering growth (conditional regression models, regression with conditional growth measures), growth curves (individual growth curves, mixed effects growth curves, latent growth curves), and patterns of growth (growth mixture modeling). The article is not a statistical treatise and has been written by a human biologist for human biologists; as such, it should be accessible to anyone with training in at least basic statistics. A summary table linking each analytical strategy to its applications is provided to help investigators match their hypotheses and measurement schedules to an analysis plan. In addition, worked examples using data on non-Hispanic white participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study are used to illustrate how the analytical strategies might be applied to gain novel insight into human growth and its determinants and consequences. All too often, serial measurements are treated as cross-sectional in analyses that do not harness the power of longitudinal data. The broad goal of this article is to encourage the rigorous application of longitudinal statistical methods to human growth research. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Biological anthropologists within academia and in other sectors are increasingly engaged in a variety of problem-oriented research and in the design, implementation, or evaluation of policies and programs, domestically and abroad. Such work can have distinctive requirements in terms of disciplinary background, professional orientation, and professional development. This article explores these issues through the author's autobiographical account of a career in food and nutrition policy from within an academic nutrition department..
The article is guided by an analytical framework that compares eight projects in terms of their mode of knowledge production, academic impact, public impacts, and personal rewards. The projects range from village-based surveys in Samoa and Malawi to food security planning in upstate New York communities, US policies on genetically engineered (GE) foods, and participant–observer research on nutrition policy development in low-income countries.
The cumulative experience reveals the importance of a commitment to problem-solving, a transdisciplinary orientation, intellectual and methodological dexterity, ongoing engagement with policy actors and openness to emergent research questions, new research settings, and nontraditional funding sources. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bioarchaeology is the contextual analysis of biological remains from past societies. It is a young and growing discipline born during the latter half of the twentieth century from its roots in physical anthropology and archaeology. Although often associated with the study of ancient diet and disease, bioarchaeology leverages variable temporal scales and its global scope to provide a uniquely comparative perspective on human life that transcends traditional boundaries of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Here, we explore the public face of bioarchaeology and consider the trends in publication practices that reflect diversifying research strategies.
Bioarchaeology is a popular topic on web-based science news aggregators. However, we identify a disconnect between bioarchaeology's traditional research emphases, emerging research foci, and findings that actually spark the public imagination. A majority of popular news articles emphasize basic discovery or "natural curiosities." Publication data indicate the field also remains regionally focused with relatively little emphasis on nomothetic goals. Nevertheless, bioarchaeology can do more to leverage its historical perspective and corporeal emphasis to engage a number of topics with importance across traditional academic boundaries. Big data, comparative, multi-investigator, interdisciplinary projects on violence, colonialism, and health offer the most obvious potential for driving research narratives in the biological and social sciences. Humanistic approaches that explore emotional connections to the past can also have merit. The diversity of research outlets and products indicates the field must embrace the importance of nontraditional activities in its value structure to maximize our potential in public arenas. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Maternal hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis function regulates production of the stress hormone cortisol, which during pregnancy can cross the placenta and have lasting impacts on fetal growth and development. This article provides a preliminary test of the hypothesis that a woman's socioeconomic status (SES) predicts her cortisol during pregnancy and her offspring's cortisol during the early postnatal period among an ethnically diverse sample in Auckland, New Zealand to evaluate whether differences in cortisol contribute to the intergenerational inheritance of health disparities within this population.
Maternal saliva samples were collected at waking and prior to sleep on 2 days in late pregnancy (34–36 weeks gestation; N = 55), and a subset of offspring saliva was collected before (N = 48) and 20 min after a standard vaccination at 6 weeks of age (N = 19). SES was quantified using a locally validated index of material deprivation, the NZ Deprivation Index for individuals (NZiDep).
We found that, after controlling for ethnicity and other covariates, women with higher NZiDep scores had significantly higher evening but similar morning cortisol, consistent with a pattern of chronic strain. Infants of women reporting greater material deprivation had elevated cortisol response to vaccination.
These findings suggest that maternal SES experience impacts maternal cortisol in pregnancy and offspring cortisol reactivity soon after birth, with potential long-term effects on offspring biology and health. Additional research is needed to clarify how biological and behavioral factors in both the prenatal and postnatal period facilitate this relationship. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:723–730, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Previously, in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we have shown different sex-specific birth anthropometric measurements contingent upon whether or not prenatal smoking was undertaken by paternal grandmother (PGM±), maternal grandmother (MGM±), and the study mother (M±). The findings raised the question as to whether there were long-term associations on the growth of the study children over time.
Measures of weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, lean mass, and fat mass of children in the ALSPAC study from 7 to 17 years of age were used. We compared growth in four categories at each age: PGM+M− with PGM−M−; MGM+M− with MGM−M−; PGM+M+ with PGM−M+; MGM+M+ with MGM−M+; and adjusted for housing tenure, maternal education, parity, and paternal smoking at the start of the study pregnancy.
We found that if the PGM had, but the study mother had not, smoked in pregnancy, the girls were taller and both genders had greater bone and lean mass. However, if the MGM had smoked prenatally but the mother had not (MGM+M−), the boys became heavier than expected with increasing age—an association that was particularly due to lean rather than fat mass, reflected in increased strength and fitness. When both the maternal grandmother and the mother had smoked (MGM+M+) girls had reduced height, weight, and fat/lean/bone mass when compared with girls born to smoking mothers whose own mothers had not smoked (MGM−M+).
This study indicates that smoking in humans can have sex-specific transgenerational effects. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:731–739, 2014. © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To provide new clues about the genetic origin, composition and structure of the population of the Spanish province of Zamora, with an emphasis on the genetic impact of the period of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula.
Polymorphisms in the paternally inherited Y-chromosome, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Short Tandem Repeats, were analyzed in 235 unrelated males born in six different regions in the Zamora province.
A relatively homogenous Y-chromosome haplogroup composition was observed in the Zamora province. Haplogroups R1b1-P25 and I-M170, widespread in European populations, accounted for 64.9% of the total sample. Moreover, all of the observed African lineages, accounting for 10.2% of the total variability, belonged to haplogroups having Northwest African origin (E1b1b1b-M81, E1b1b1a-β-M78, and J1-M267).
No differences between regions or sub-structure due to geographical boundaries were detected. The specific Northwest African male lineages observed contrast with the mitochondrial DNA data, where the majority of African lineages were found to be sub-Saharan. This work made it possible to study the impact of recent historical events in the male gene pool in the province of Zamora in Spain. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:740–746, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Married people live longer and are healthier than unmarried people. This can be explained in terms of marriage protection and marriage selection. The aim of the present study was to examine the direct effect of marriage selection on health status.
Data were collected from the archives of the Lower Silesian Medical Center (DOLMED) in Wrocław, Poland. The sample consisted of 2,265 adult (never married or currently married) men. Subjects were assigned to categories for selected variables, including age, level of education, military category upon conscription, height, hearing acuity, and visual acuity. Military category, objective data gathered upon military conscription at age 18, was used to assess initial health status. To identify any relationships between marital status and health status, generalized linear models with binomially distributed dependent variable were used.
The never-married subjects were more likely to have been assigned to lower military categories, which indicates that their health status at age 18 was inferior to those conscripts who would later marry. Hearing acuity and visual acuity were generally worse in never-married subjects than in married subjects. Never-married subjects were also more likely to be short and less likely to be tall.
The results provide evidence for direct health-related marriage selection in men between 25 and 60 years of age. Poor health status reduces the likelihood of marriage. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:747–752, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Previous studies suggest that otherwise healthy individuals who have a parental history of hypertension (PH+) have an accentuated reactive rise in catecholamines and cortisol to laboratory stressors as well as elevated plasma levels when compared with those with no parental history (PH−); however, few, if any, studies have evaluated whether parental history affects the responses of these hormones to changing environmental circumstances in everyday life. The purpose of this study was to compare urinary catecholamine (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and cortisol excretion and ambulatory blood pressures (BPs) across three daily microenvironments between women with and without a parental history of hypertension.
The women in the study (PH+, N = 62, age = 35.2 ± 9.1; PH−, N = 72, age = 33.8 ± 10.0) worked in clerical, technical, or professional positions at a major medical center in New York City. Urinary hormone excretion rates and ambulatory BP were measured across three daily microenvironments: work (11 am to 3 p.m.), home (approximately 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and during sleep (approximately 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.). History group comparisons by microenvironment were made using repeated-measures ANCOVA and ANOVA analyses.
The results show that epinephrine excretion among PH+ women was 36% higher than PH− women (P < 0.008) over the entire day and that nocturnal cortisol excretion was also greater among PH+ women (P < 0.045). PH+ women also had statistically significantly higher systolic (4 mm Hg higher; P < 0.01) and diastolic (2 mm Hg higher, P < 0.03) BP when compared with PH− women across all daily microenvironments.
These findings suggest that there may be genetically linked mechanisms which elevate tonic epinephrine levels and nocturnal cortisol levels that contribute to elevating circadian BP. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:753–759, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Elevated BMI results from an excess of not only fat mass (FM) but also fat-free soft tissue mass (FFM). Both components of body soft tissue, FM, and FFM, are now considered as active endocrine organs. The major aim of this study was to explore the genetic architecture of BMI, considering genetic variations of its major soft tissue components, and the main biochemical factors associated with their corresponding metabolism: leptin, adiponectin, E-selectin, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein, IGFBP-1.
A total of 1,502 apparently healthy individuals (783 men, 719 women) from 359 ethnically homogeneous families were assessed anthropometrically for body composition. Model-based quantitative genetic analyses were implemented to reveal genetic and shared environmental factors affecting the variation and covariation of the studied phenotypes.
We found that inter-individual variation in BMI is strongly correlated with both body composition components (r > 0.92, P < 0.001). These correlations are caused by shared genetic and environmental factors that were interpreted to be a direct result of the intimate genetic and environmental correlations between FM and FFM. The latter were also significantly correlated with leptin, E-selectin, and IGFBP-1. However, whereas leptin displayed both genetic and environmental correlations with both FM and FFM, their correlations with E-selectin were caused only by common genes, and with IGFBP-1—only by a shared environment.
This study clearly suggests that FM and FFM contributed almost equally to BMI variation, and provides evidence that this contribution is caused by common genetic as well as shared environmental and metabolic factors. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:760–767, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Concepts such as Allostatic Load, Framingham Risk Score, and Biological Age were developed to combine information from multiple measures into a single latent variable that can be used to quantify a person's biological state. Given these varying approaches, the goal of this article is to compare how well these three measures predict subsequent all-cause and disease-specific mortality within a large nationally representative U.S. sample.
Our study population consisted of 9,942 adults, ages 30 and above from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves and Cox Proportional Hazard models for the whole sample and for stratified age groups were used to compare how well Allostatic Load, Framingham Risk Score, and Biological Age predict ten-year all-cause and disease-specific mortality in the sample, for whom there were 1,076 deaths over 96,420 person years of exposure.
Overall, Biological Age predicted 10-year mortality more accurately than other measures for the full age range, as well as for participants ages 50 to 69 and 70+. Additionally, out of the three measures, Biological Age had the strongest association with all-cause and cancer mortality, while the Framingham Risk Score had the strongest association with CVD mortality.
Methods for quantifying biological risk provide important approaches to improving our understanding of the causes and consequences of changes in physiological function and dysregulation. Biological Age offers an alternative and, in some cases a more accurate summary approach to the traditionally used methods, such as Allostatic Load and Framingham Risk Score. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:768–776, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
There is an ongoing effort to characterize the genetic links between Africa and Europe, mostly using lineages and haplotypes that are specific to one continent but had an ancient origin in the other. Mitochondrial DNA has been proven to be a very useful tool for this purpose since a high number of putatively European-specific variants of the African L* lineages have been defined over the years. Due to their geographic locations, Spain and Portugal seem to be ideal places for searching for these lineages.
Five members of a minor branch of haplogroup L3f were found in recent DNA samplings in the region of Asturias (Northern Spain), which is known for its historical isolation. The frequency of L3f in this population (≈1%) is unexpectedly high in comparison with other related lineages in Europe. Complete mitochondrial DNA sequencing of these L3f lineages, as well phylogenetic and phylogeographic comparative analyses have been performed.
The L3f variant found in Asturias seems to constitute an Iberian-specific haplogroup, distantly related to lineages in Northern Africa and with a deep ancestry in Western Africa. Coalescent algorithms estimate the minimum arrival time as 8,000 years ago, and a possible route through the Gibraltar Strait.
Results are concordant with a previously proposed Neolithic connection between Southern Europe and Western Africa, which might be key to the proper understanding of the ancient links between these two continents. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:777–783, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The study was aimed to estimate the effect of inbreeding on height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in comparison with non-inbred children.
A cohort study was conducted during April 2013 through July 2013 in Jammu (North India) and a total of 1,270 children (5–15 years of age) were selected in a random way both from inbred and non-inbred families of five Muslim populations. The height and weight was measured using standard methods and the BMI categories were employed as adapted by World Health Organization (WHO). Family pedigrees were drawn to access the family history and children's inbred status in terms of coefficient of inbreeding (F).
Children of inbred families showed decline in mean value for height, weight, and BMI (P < 0.0001). The mean difference (95% confidence interval) in height −7.318 (5.827–8.809), weight −6.590 (5.100–8.081) and BMI −2.133 (0.6419–3.624) for inbred as compared with non-inbred children were found to be significant (P < 0.001). We observed an increase in the difference in mean values for height, weight and BMI with the increase of inbreeding coefficient and these were statistically significant (P < 0.05, using post hoc tests). The frequency of underweight children was found to be higher among individuals in the inbred category (<18.5 kg/m2 = 47.31%) as compared with the non-inbred category (<18.5 kg/m2 = 13.41%) and subsequent depression was found among the inbred children due to an increase of inbreeding coefficient.
Our results provide the evidence of inbreeding depression on height, weight, and BMI being important in context of child health. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:784–795, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Low-grade elevation of C-reactive protein (CRP) is a non-specific inflammatory marker, used as a predictor for cardiovascular disease development and chronic inflammatory risks. Research investigating dietary influences on inflammation has focused primarily on the relationship between dietary characteristics, CRP elevation and BMI in the populations at greatest risk for cardiovascular disease, namely those in the overweight and obese ranges, often in clinical settings and/or among those middle aged or older, leaving little information about normal to underweight populations of reproductive age in ecological settings. This study evaluates impacts of dietary nutrients on serum CRP levels in a population of predominantly underweight to normal weight adult women experiencing the additional nutritional demands of lactation.
Data from non-overweight breastfeeding Ariaal women of Kenya collected in 2006 were used (n = 194). Logistic regression models were applied using low-grade CRP elevation (hsCRP > 3 mg/L) as the outcome variable and dietary nutrients, age, BMI, and serum retinol as predictors.
Models showed that energy intake (Kcal) and age were positive predictors of CRP elevation while folate intake, total vitamin A intake, and serum retinol concentration were protective against CRP elevation. Unlike previous studies among higher BMI populations, this study found no significant effect of dietary lipids/fatty acids or BMI on CRP elevation.
The effects of specific dietary nutrients on inflammatory status may vary with BMI or, in women, reproductive status. Further research should investigate the role of dietary fats, fatty acids, and antioxidant vitamins across populations with a wide range of BMI, including postpartum women. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:796–802, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changes in sleep patterns often occur in older adults. Previous studies have documented associations between sleep duration, sleep quality, and obesity risk in older individuals, yet few studies have examined these trends in lower-income countries. The present cross-sectional study uses nationally representative datasets from six countries to examine these relationships.
Two hypotheses related to obesity risk and sleep patterns were tested using data from the first wave of the World Health Organization's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). This longitudinal study draws on samples of older adults (>50 years old) in six middle-income countries (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russian Federation, and South Africa). Self-report data were used to measure sleep duration, sleep quality, lifestyle and sociodemographic information, while anthropometric measurements were collected to assess body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between sleep patterns and obesity risk while controlling for lifestyle factors.
Shorter sleep durations in both men and women were significantly associated with higher BMI and WC measures (P < 0.05). Low sleep quality did not significantly contribute to increased obesity risk. Surprisingly, high sleep quality was significantly associated with increased male BMI and WC in China and India (P < 0.01).
This study documented an association between short sleep duration and increased obesity risk, which is important given the global increase of obesity-related diseases. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:803–812, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Y chromosome haplogroup Q1a1 is found almost only in Han Chinese populations. However, it has not been found in ancient Han Chinese samples until now. Thus, the origin of haplogroup Q1a1 in Han Chinese is still obscure. This study attempts to provide answer to this question, and to uncover the origin and paternal genetic structure of the ancestors of the Han Chinese.
Eighty-nine ancient human remains that were excavated from the presumed geographic source of the Han Chinese and dated to approximately 3,000 years ago were treated by the amelogenin gene polymerase chain reaction test, to determine their sex. Then, Y chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms were subsequently analyzed from the samples detected as male.
Samples from 27 individuals were successfully amplified. Their haplotypes could be attributed to haplogroups N, O*, O2a, O3a, and Q1a1. Analyses showed that the assigned haplogroup of each sample is correlated to the suspected social status and observed burial custom associated with the sample.
The origins of the observed haplotypes and their distribution in present day Han Chinese and in the samples suggest that haplogroup Q1a1 was probably introduced into the Han Chinese population approximately 3,000 years ago. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:813–821, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Variation in relative body breadth between individuals is potentially a significant influence on the biomechanical loading placed upon the lower limb. This study investigates the influence of relative body breadth on the periosteal geometry of the diaphyses of the limb bones among individuals from a broad range of human populations.
This study applies a 3D laser scanning approach to the extraction and analysis of periosteal cross-sectional properties throughout the diaphyses of the femur and tibia to test for influences of body shape on diaphyseal morphology throughout the lower limb. Analyses are based on data collected from seven populations, encompassing a broad range of modern human variation in body shape.
Hypertrophy of the proximal end of the femur diaphysis in wider bodied individuals is observed and appears to extend at least as far as the femur midshaft, while the mid diaphyseal region of the tibia is the least influenced by body shape. However correlations with relative body breadth were also observed towards the distal end of the femur diaphysis and towards both ends of the tibial diaphysis, especially among females.
Relative body breadth is correlated with the periosteal geometry of the lower limb bones, particularly towards the proximal end of the femur diaphysis, but correlations in other regions also suggest integration of the diaphyseal geometry with epiphyseal dimensions. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:822–835, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The aim of this study was to examine to what extent extreme endurance exercise results in changes of plasma markers associated with cardiac and renal damage, as well as hemolysis in male, Mexican Tarahumara runners.
Ten Tarahumara runners (mean (sd) age of 38 (12) years) participated in a 78 km race in Chihuahua, Mexico at 2,400 m above sea level. Cardiac, kidney, and hematology plasma markers were measured pre-race and <5 min, 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h post-race. Anthropometry, blood pressure, pulse rate, electrocardiography, HbA1c, hemoglobin and VO2max (estimated from heart rate following step test) were assessed pre-race, while physical activity energy expenditure and intensity were estimated during the race, and oxygen partial pressure saturation (SpO2) <30 min post-race.
Estimated mean VO2max was 48 (9) mLO2 min−1 kg−1 and relative intensity during the race was 68 (11)%VO2max. Mean SpO2 was 92 (3)% <30 min post-race. Plasma concentrations of especially total creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB isoform, and haptoglobin changed significantly from pre-race values (P < 0.001) up to 24 h post-race, but had returned to pre-race values after 48 h. The plasma concentrations of mid-regional proatrial natiuretic peptide and copeptin returned to pre-race concentrations after 1 and 6 h, respectively.
Altered cardiac, renal, and hemolysis plasma markers were normalized after 48 h following 78 km of running, suggesting that the impact of exercise-induced cardiac and kidney damage as well as hemolysis in the Mexican Tarahumara is low. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:836–843, 2014. © 2014 The Authors American Journal of Human Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To report the prevalence and factors associated with overweight/obesity in a representative sample of Portuguese adolescents, from three different cohorts.
Data on 8,610 adolescents aged 11–17, who participated in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey (HBSC/WHO) were analyzed. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on self-reported weight/height. Factors investigated as potential correlates of overweight/obesity were as follows: physical activity, screen time, life satisfaction, and perception of health.
The prevalence of overweight/obesity was around 20% for boys and 17% for girls between 2002 and 2010. Among boys, the prevalence of overweight/obesity was negatively associated with age in 2002 (odds ratio, OR = 0.89, P < 0.01), 2006 (OR = 0.92, P < 0.05), and 2010 (OR = 0.91, P < 0.05). Those who engaged in physical activity were less likely to be classified as overweight/obese in 2006 (OR = 0.89, P < 0.01) and 2010 (OR = 0.92, P < 0.05). Among girls, as age increased, the likelihood of being overweight/obese significantly decreased in all years. Results from 2002 (OR = 0.69, P < 0.001) and 2010 (OR = 0.88, P < 0.01) varied by almost 20%.
The prevalence of overweight/obesity is still high, but seems to have stabilized. Physical activity, for boys, and perception of health, for girls, are factors associated with a lower likelihood of being overweight or obese. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:844–849, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
To determine the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathoadrenal (SA) system response to repeated bouts of downhill running.
Eleven active but untrained males (age: 19.7 ± 0.4 y; VO2peak 47.8 ± 3.6 ml/kg/min) performed two 60 min bouts of downhill running (−13.5% gradient), separated by 14 days, at a speed eliciting 75% of their VO2peak on a level grade. Saliva samples were collected before (baseline), after, and every hour for 12 h and every 24 h for 6 days after each run. Salivary cortisol and α-amylase levels were measured as markers of the HPA axis and SA response, respectively. Results were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA (12 h period: 2 × 14; 24 h intervals 2 × 7, P ≤ 0.05) with Tukey post-hoc tests where appropriate. Paired samples t-tests were used to compare collapsed data vs. baseline measurements.
There were no significant group × time interactions for cortisol or α-amylase for the hourly samples up to 12 h after each run, nor for the 24 h samples up to 6 days later. The 24 h samples for α-amylase showed a significant group effect between runs (Run 1: 69.77 ± 7.68 vs. Run 2: 92.19 ± 7.67 U/ml; P = 0.04). Significant time effects were measured for both cortisol (decreased 2 h to 12 h post-run) and α-amylase (elevated immediately after, 1 h and 2 h post-run) (P < 0.001).
The 24 h period group effect for salivary α-amylase suggested an adaptation in the sympathoadrenal system that may alter the systemic inflammatory response to exercise-induced muscle damage but may also reflect enhanced mucosal immunity. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:850–855, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In the present study, we for the first time investigated overweight and obesity level among Tibet minorities (Deng, Lhoba, Monba) living in remote villages at the south slope of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. For each ethnicity, the total number of population is less than 10 thousands in China.
Anthropometric measurements were conducted on adult participants of three ethnicities in Tibet, China. Totally, the whole sample consists of 141 males and 163 females. Body mass index (BMI) was adopted to evaluate the overweight and obesity level.
Within each ethnicity, there was no significant sex difference on BMI. The general prevalence of overweight and obesity level of Lhoba ethnicity (18.42%) is higher than that of Monba (17.65%) and Deng ethnicity (6.29%). For each sex, the distribution of BMI classification was found to be significantly associated with ethnicity identity.
One possible reason for ethnic disparity among Tibet minorities in the present study is special dietary elements. Measures to prevent and cope with the problem of overweight and obesity among Tibet minorities are urgently required. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:856–858, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adequate quantity and quality of the DNA isolated from saliva samples are crucial for ensuring successful genotyping rates in genetic studies. However, there is little information about these issues when saliva samples are collected from children. The objectives of this study were to assess whether there are differences in DNA quality or quantity isolated from saliva samples of children at different ages and adolescents compared to adults and, if so, to establish a modified protocol to improve and standardize DNA isolation from saliva samples of children.
Saliva samples were collected with Oragene DNA Sample Collection Kit from 41 healthy subjects including children of different ages, adolescents, and adults. Quantity and quality of isolated DNA were determined spectrophotometrically.
DNA concentration and age were positively correlated (r = 0.676, P < 0.001). A high percentage of samples from children below 12 years yielded DNA concentrations <100 ng/µL and DNA quality a260/a280 ratios of <1.8. Modifying the standard DNA isolation method raised DNA quantity and quality in these critical samples.
Age determines, at least in part, the high variability observed in the concentration of DNA isolated from saliva samples. This fact should be taken into account for a better standardization of the DNA isolation to ensure DNA banking in large-scale genetic studies involving children. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:859–862, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High intrauterine testosterone (T) levels seem to play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but their role in anorexia nervosa (AN) is controversial. Parents with masculinized 2D:4D ratios, a marker of the organizational effects of T, may have other relevant biological characteristics, in particular exposing their offspring to high T levels in the prenatal environment. This would increase the likelihood of their offspring developing these disorders.
The present study examined whether parents of offspring with AN (n=34; mean age= 51) and ASD (n=36; mean age=45) differ from control parents (n=40; mean age=43) in 2D:4D ratio, as well as by salivary T levels and its relationships.
Our results revealed that AN and ASD parents (fathers and mothers) have masculinized 2D:4D ratios of the right hand compared to control parents. However, the difference compared to controls was larger in the ASD than the AN group. Furthermore, current salivary T levels were negatively related to the 2D:4D ratio in ASD and AN parents only.
Our data partially support the view of high prenatal masculinization as a potential intermediate phenotype to the development of these disorders in their offspring. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:863–866, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


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7months old. Female. Kid friendly and animal friendly. Loves bathes and very playful and sweet. The cat condo comes with the cat.
Nov 26 -
Newark :
Beautiful mixed kittens for sale (sphynx and russian blue). They are very playful and friendly, females and males. They are two months old.
Nov 21 -
New York City :
2 baby girls ready for new home
Nov 21 -
Hudson Valley :
even heart of a stone will melt listening to these purring peterbald (russian sphynx) kittens! meet your musical cat today!!! 347-733-3649 or [email removed]
Nov 15 -
New York City :
Because of issues with the landlord, I'm being forced to let go of my beautiful sphynx boy. He's extremely friendly, very energetic, playful and just an all around pleasure to have by your side. He's already been neutered, doesn't go outside his litter box, or make any ...
Nov 13 -
New York City :
Canadian sphynx male,6 weeks old,color-seal point with blue eyes.Coming UTD on shots,dewormed,health papers and guarantee,TICA registered.
For more information please contact.
Oct 29 -
New York City :
Canadian sphynx female,6 weeks old,bi-color with blue eyes.Coming UTD on shots,dewormed,health papers and guarantee,TICA registered.
For more information please contact.
6 weeks old sphynx kittens available for reserve
One male and one female. Both are blue point mink
Parents are imported from Russia , top quality
For more info visit us at www.sphynxsphynx.com
Oct 23 -
New York City :
This STUNNING little kitten is out of top quality Sphynx from Russian & Canadian bloodlines and this baby looks like she is going to be tiny and beautiful like her mom. I'm asking $1,200. for her. That includes her microchip, 5 year health warranty, free vet vist and much, ...
Oct 17 -
New York City :
Sphynx males and females available
They come UTD on shots and dewormed,health record
For more pictures and information please contact
Oct 16 -
New York City :
4 sphynx kittens for sale. Three females one male. Ready to go home as of October 25th. Born 7/27/2014. TICA registered cattery. All kittens come with first set of shots and deworming. Very friendly and playful. Both parents on site.
Oct 13 -
New York City :
Declawed very effectionate and smart knows her name and fetch toy
Oct 8 -
New York City :
Staten Island
1 1/2 years old female very sweet declawed. Knows her name and brings toys to play
Oct 7 -
New York City :
Staten Island
My family and I are looking to adopt a sphynx cat. We would provide a loving, warm, and safe home for him or her. We have been looking everywhere and have had no luck! Our family would be overjoyed to welcome him or her into our family. Please feel free to email me (I check ...
Oct 3 -
New York City :
Gorgeous Sphynx kittens are energetic, playful, cat litter trained, vaccinated and ready to go.
Call of text on 908-812-2001
Oct 1 -
New York City :
Please visit our site at www.SleekatsCattery.webs.com
This fall watch for up coming segments on Animal Planets "Cats 101" featuring our Peterbald & Don Sphynx (Donskoy) cats and kittens. We are actively breeding and expecting new litters of Peterbald and Don Sphynx. If you ...
Oct 1 -
Boston :
Purebreed blue eyed Canadian sphynx kittens available for reservation.
For more pictures visit at www.indigosphynx.com
Sep 30 -
Hudson Valley :
I am downsizing my breeding program and placing a beautiful young female sphynx.
This beauty has just turned one year old and has not had any litters. She is not yet spayed but would be placed as a pet only with a spay agreement.
Sphynx are very loving, active, and ...
Sep 29 -
Portland (ME) :
Oriental Short Hair - Jen - Small - Young - Female - Cat
Jen is a lovely black siamese-bombay mix female kitten with a white medallion on her neck, and a white bikini on her belly! This little girl, together with her seven littermates, were born in a shed in the Bronx but ...
Aug 10 -
New York City :
New York
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Individual RP: Fierce Deity
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Rawr!
Posts: 1,695
Re: Individual RP: Fierce Deity
"I'd like to lure that creature out, if you don't mind, Ranger Jake."
I simply nodded in response and got a Pokeball out of my pocket. I clicked the button located at its center, enlarged it and threw it above the air. From the Pokeball, my Lanturn jumped in midair and landed neatly beside the pair of Luvdisc, splashing small amounts droplets of water to everything near her.
"Lanturn, care to lure that Pokemon out?"
I gently told her, pointing my finger towards the Pokemon's shadow.
Stopping the hovercraft, I waited for Lanturn to come back with best results. She dove quickly as she heard the command, whilst activating one of her abilities, Illuminate. This ability proved quite useful when searching for Pokemon, especially in dark places, who are attracted to shining light.
I glanced at the waters below and saw Lanturn's light, and it looks like she succeeded in doing her task. On her back, the shadow was following her. Something looked strange about its size. It looks like it would be the biggest Pokemon found on the Great Lakes. Even with its silhouette, I'm sure it's a Wailord.
"Better decide if you want a Wailord before it reaches us, Alonzo. We can still make Lanturn lure it away if you want."
Name: Alonzo
Location: Great Lakes
Total Items: Full Heal x4, Full Restore, Hyperball x5, Special Map, Superball x4
Area effects: ???
Encounters remaining: 11
Current Wild Pokemon: Wailord
Pokemon Stats:
Pokemon: Slowking
Nickname: -
Gender: Female
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Brave
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Strength, Surf, Trick Room
Pokemon: Electivire
Nickname: -
Gender: Male
Ability: Motor Drive
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Cross Chop, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Magnet Rise
Pokemon: Gengar
Nickname: -
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Naughty
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT:Energy Ball, Explosion, Focus Blast, Hidden Power, Thunderbolt, Will-o-Wisp
Pokemon: Porygon-Z
Nickname: -
Gender: Genderless
Ability: Download
Nature: Mild
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Hidden Power [Poison], Ice Beam, Psychic, Reflect, Shadow Ball, Substitute, Thunderbolt
Pokemon encountered: Croconaw, Luvdisc, Luvdisc, Wailord
Pokemon captured:
OOC: Sorry for late post! :<
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