Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Polynesia”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Novel sequence insertion in a Mâori patient with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassaemia.

Although beta-thalassaemia is common throughout the world, it has not been previously described in Polynesia. We report a novel sequence insertion where homozygosity for the defect results in transfusion-dependent anaemia. The repeated 45 base pair (bp) insertion causes duplication of the start codon and consequent transcription from the original initiation code would be predicted to lead to the production of an irrelevant seven-residue peptide, while residual translation from the novel initiation site would result in diminished yields of beta-globin and consequent clinical beta(+)-thalassaemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Aedes polynesiensis in the Society Islands: environmental correlates of isoenzyme differentiation.

Isoenzyme genetic differentiation of Aedes polynesiensis mosquitoes in Raiatea island, French Polynesia, was evaluated by two models of population structure based on seven gene-enzyme systems: Ak, Est, Got, Gpi, Hk, Mdh and Pgm. The ecological model tested whether genetic differentiation is congruent with habitat differences. The isolation model evaluated whether genetic differentiation is proportional to geographical distribution. The ecological model found no significant differentiation between populations of Ae.polynesiensis from beach and forest ecotopes, whereas the isolation model was consistent with the data. However, incipient speciation is opposed by the source-sink system of population dynamics in such small neighbouring islands, where Ae.polynensiensis extinction is readily followed by reinvasion causing considerable gene flow between island populations.

Aedes↗
PubMed2005

Patterns of genetic variation do not correlate with geographical distance in the reef-building coral Pocillopora meandrina in the South Pacific.

Dispersal may be a critical factor in the ability of reef-building corals to recover after major disturbances. We studied patterns of geographical structure using four microsatellite markers in seven South Pacific populations of Pocillopora meandrina, a major coral species from Polynesia. Variation within populations showed evidence of heterozygote deficiency. Genetic differentiation between populations was detected at a large scale (2000 km) between the Tonga and the Society Islands. Within the Society Islands, four of the five studied populations from Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti were not significantly different from each other. Unexpectedly, one of the three populations surveyed in Moorea was genetically different from the other two populations of this island (that were 5 and 10 km apart), and from the populations of the other two surveyed islands in this archipelago. We cannot rule out the possibility that this pattern is an equilibrium state, whereby short-range dispersal is locally more differentiating than long-range dispersal, as has been suggested by similar patterns reported in other studies. An alternative explanation that is globally consistent with all observations is that this is the signature of a large-scale destruction event, as for instance a bleaching event, followed by the recent restoration of populations by new colonists.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Tinea imbricata or Tokelau.

Tinea imbricata (TI) or Tokelau is a superficial mycosis caused by Trichophyton concentricum, an anthropophilic dermatophyte. It is endemic in some islands of the South Pacific (Polynesia), South-East Asia, Central and South America, and Mexico, and is most often seen in individuals living in primitive and isolated conditions. The skin lesions are characteristically concentric and lamellar (imbricata: in Latin, tiled) plaques of scale. Predisposing conditions include humidity, inheritance, and immunologic factors. The diagnosis is usually made on clinical grounds, supported by skin scrapings and culture. Tokelau is a chronic and highly relapsing disease and, although no first-line treatment exists, best results are obtained with oral griseofulvin and terbinafine and a topical combination of keratolytic ointments, such as Whitfield's. TI is a disease model that allows the correlation of a series of environmental, genetic, immunologic, and therapeutic conditions.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Class II HLA allele polymorphism: DRB1, DQB1 and DPB1 alleles and haplotypes in the New Zealand Maori population.

Class II alleles of interest to transplantation comprise the DRB1, DQB1 and DPB1 loci. Sequence-based typing was used to determine the class II allelic variability present in New Zealand Maori, a population with close genetic ties to Polynesia and known anthropological and linguistic connections to mainland Asia. The most common DRB1 alleles identified were DRB1*1201, DRB1*110101, DRB1*0403 and DRB1*080302, with frequencies of 21.5%, 14%, 11.25% and 9.25%, respectively. Standard linkages between the DRB1 locus and the DRB3, 4 and 5 loci were maintained, with no novel patterns identified. The most common DQB1 alleles identified were DQB1*030101, DQB1*060101, DQB1*020101, DQB1*0602 and DQB1*050201, with frequencies of 29.5%, 8%, 7.8%, 6.4% and 6.2%, respectively. The most common DPB1 alleles identified were DPB1*0501, DPB1*040101 and DPB1*020102, with frequencies of 40.2%, 28.89% and 15.83%, respectively. A total of 80 estimated DRB1-DQB1 two-locus haplotypes were detected. DRB1*1201-DQB1*030101 was the most frequent (15.40%) haplotype, followed by DRB1*110101-DQB1*030101 (9.97%), DRB1*0403-DQB1*030201 (7.37%) and DRB1*080302-DQB1*060101 (5.96%). The allelic variation determined is being used in further analysis of the requirement for bone marrow transplantation in the New Zealand Maori population and has implications for optimal ethnic donor distribution on the New Zealand Bone Marrow Donor Registry, anthropological studies and disease association.

Alleles↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Deep-seated fungal diseases in the South Pacific, especially in New Caledonia.

The main deep-seated fungal diseases and their encountered pathology in New Caledonia and other islands of the South Pacific are reviewed (1970-96). Cryptococcosis is encountered in all islands of the South Pacific, Australia and Papua New Guinea, with a predominance of variety gattii, which is associated with some species of Eucalyptus. Histoplasmosis is not uncommon, and there was an epidemic in New Caledonia in 1994 among people who had visited a bat-inhabited cave. Mycetomas, in particular presenting as pale granules in tissues, are encountered in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and French Polynesia. Other fungal infections, such as zygomycosis, sporotrichosis (three cases) and chromomycosis (six cases) are rarely observed in New Caledonia.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Prognostic factors associated with severe leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is an anthropozoonosis caused by Leptospira interrogans. It occurs worldwide and is endemic in French Polynesia. Leptospirosis is associated with a large variety of clinical symptoms. Most infections caused by leptospires are either sub-clinical or of very mild severity, but 5-10% of infections result in multiple organ damage, including kidney, liver and lung lesions. Among 71 patients hospitalised in Papeete for severe leptospirosis during a period of 2 years, the main risk-factors for a severe outcome were hypotension, oliguria and an abnormal chest auscultation at the first physical examination. Survival depends on rapid diagnosis and early appropriate management. Well-defined criteria may help physicians to improve the timely treatment of high-risk patients.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Twelve HLA-DR6-related DRB1 alleles and associated DR, DQ haplotypes in traditional Australians and other populations of Asia-Oceania.

The relative distributions of 12 HLA-DR6-related HLA-DRB1 alleles in indigenous populations of Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and northern and southern China have been determined by analysis of nucleotide sequence polymorphisms in 364 examples of HLA-DR6 positive chromosomes. Oligonucleotide hybridizations of polymerase chain reaction products of HLA-DQA1, DQB1, DRB1 and DRB3 genes generated 24 HLA-DR6-related haplotypes. The study aimed to determine the regional distribution of DR,DQ haplotypes associated with three novel HLA-DR6 alleles, namely DRB1*1408, 1409, and 1410, known to occur in Australian Aborigines, to gain further insights into the molecular phylogeny of these alleles. DRB1*1408 was the most common HLA-DR6 subtype in Oceania, although it was not detected in Chinese. In Australian Aborigines and Papua New Guinean highlanders, DRB1*1408 was associated with DRB3*0202, while in Polynesians and Micronesians it was associated with DRB3*0101. The different haplotype arrangements, together with the near absence of DRB1*1408 in coastal Melanesians, suggest the possibility that two independent mutations have generated DRB1*1408 in Australia and Oceania. DRB1*1409 and 1410 alleles were confined to Australian Aborigines, while DRB1*1407 was found exclusively in Melanesians; DRB1*1401 was the only HLA-DR6 allele represented in all study populations. The population-specific HLA-DR6 alleles and haplotypes have important implications for unrelated bone-marrow donor registries in Australia and Oceania.

Humans↗
PubMed1997

Molecular fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on a Caribbean island with IS6110 and DRr probes.

Because of a substantial increase in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and HIV-linked tuberculosis in the Caribbean, a molecular fingerprinting study of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated at the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe from 1994 to 1995 was undertaken with the insertion sequence IS6110 and the direct repeat DRr probes. We present the results for 72 isolates from 51 patients. A major cluster (cluster A) representing isolates from 12 patients (24%) was detected upon PvuII-IS6110 fingerprinting, which revealed a pattern of four bands among these isolates. Homogeneity was retained when the isolates were further analyzed with the DRr probe or further characterized by AluI and SmaI-DRr restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The isolates of cluster A, from 10 men and 2 women, was present in people of all ages and of different ethnic and geographical backgrounds, and infection with these isolates was independent of the HIV status of the patients (except for 2 HIV-positive patients from the same ward from whom the tubercle bacilli were isolated at the same time). The percentage of reactivation versus active transmission events could not be precisely determined in this study. These results are discussed on the basis of the genetic advantage of predominant clusters and/or specific characteristics of the settings from which a similar cluster of isolates with four bands has so far been reported, which include South Africa, French Polynesia, and Guadeloupe.

DNA Fingerprinting↗
PubMed1985

An extended survey of the genetic polymorphism at the human coagulation factor XIII: a subunit structural locus.

The distribution of the three previously reported alleles, with normal products at the factor XIII A subunit structural locus, FXIIIA*1, FXIIIA*2 and FXIIIA*4 has been studied in populations from the region extending from the Indonesian archipelago through Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand to the Pacific Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. In addition a population from the Caspian Littoral of Iran and a population of South American Indians were studied. The FXIIIA*1 and FXIIIA*2 alleles were polymorphic in all populations studied. The distribution of the FXIIIA*4 allele suggests that it may be a Melanesian marker.

Australia↗
PubMed1998

Photoreception in the planktonic larvae of two species of pullosquilla, a lysiosquilloid stomatopod crustacean

Optical microscopy, electron microscopy and microspectrophotometry were used to characterize pigments in the eyes of planktonic larvae of two species of the lysiosquilloid stomatopod Pullosquilla, P. litoralis and P. thomassini, which live sympatrically in French Polynesia. In contrast to the adult retina, which contains a diverse assortment of visual pigments in the main rhabdoms, the principal photoreceptors throughout the larval eyes of both species were found to contain a single rhodopsin with an absorption maximum ( max) close to 446 nm. The expression of this visual pigment may survive metamorphosis, since several adult rhodopsins occur at a similar spectral position. The retinas of these planktonic larvae also contain a novel yellow photostable pigment, which is arrayed in a regular pattern at the distal margin of the larval retina. The absorption spectrum of this pigment is well matched to the larval rhodopsin, suggesting that it acts to screen the rhabdoms from stray light. By replacing opaque, black screening pigment, the transparent yellow pigment may act together with a blue iridescent layer in the larval retina to reduce the visual contrast of the larval eye against downwelling and sidewelling light, while simultaneously acting as a retinal screen.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

The peopling of New Guinea: evidence from class I human leukocyte antigen.

This study utilizes newly developed direct DNA typing methods for human leukocyte antigens (HLA) to provide new information about the peopling of New Guinea. The complete polymorphism of eight Melanesian populations was examined. The groups included were highlanders, northern and southern highlands fringe populations, a Sepik population, northern and southern coastal New Guinea populations, and populations from the Bismarck Archipelago and New Caledonia. The study concluded that, based on HLA and other evidence. Melanesians are likely to have evolved largely from the same ancestral stock as Aboriginal Australians but to have since differentiated. Highlanders are likely to be descendants of earlier migrations who have been isolated for a long period of time. Northern highlands fringe and Sepik populations are likely to share a closer common ancestry but to have differentiated due to long term isolation and the relative proximity to the coast of the Sepik. Southern fringe populations are likely to have a different origin, possibly from the Gulf region, although there may be some admixture with neighboring groups. Coastal populations have a wider range of polymorphisms because of the genetic trail left by later population movement along the coast from Asia that did not reach Australia or remote Oceania. Other polymorphisms found in these populations may have been introduced by the movement of Austronesian-speaking and other more recent groups of people into the Pacific, because they share many polymorphisms with contemporary southeast Asians, Polynesians, and Micronesians that are not found in highlanders or Aboriginal Australians. There is evidence suggestive of later migration to Melanesia from Polynesia and Micronesia.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

Antibiosis and antixenosis to Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididac) in Colocasia esculenta.

Fifty cultivars of taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott (Araceae), collected from islands in Micronesia and Polynesia, eight cultivars from the University of Hawaii's taro germplasm collection, and a closely related aroid, Xanthosorna sagittifolium (L.) (Araceae), were screened for antibiosis and antixenosis to Aphis gossypii Clover. Life history data for A. gossypii were collected by assessing survivorship and fecundity of aphids caged on taro leaves in the field. Significant differences in aphid reproductive rate and longevity were observed among the taro cultivars, and cultivars were ranked from most resistant to most susceptible. Antixenosis was assayed in the laboratory in a multiround choice test where A. gossypii were offered four leaf discs excised from different taro cultivars. Additionally, field observations of aphid abundance on taro cultivars were made to corroborate clip cage studies and laboratory experiments. 'Iliuaua','Rumung Mary','Maria', 'Ketan 36', and'Agaga' were the most resistant in terms of reducing aphid fecundity and survivorship, whereas the Iliuana,'Purple', 'TC-83001', and 'Putih 24' were least preferred in aphid choice tests. X. sagittifolium consistently exhibited strong aphid resistance. Resistant cultivars identified in this study may form the basis of breeding programs seeking to combine aphid resistance with other desirable agronomic traits in taro.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Molecular identification key for pest species of Scirtothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Effective plant quarantine and biological control initiatives require rapid and accurate identification of exotic and potentially invasive taxa that may cause high economic losses or environmental damage. The genus Scirtothrips Shull includes several species that are serious agricultural pests, and, because of their minute size and cryptic behavior, prone to undetected transport through international trade of plant material. Although assigning specimens to the genus Scirtothrips is straightforward using traditional taxonomic methods, identification of species is much more difficult and requires expert knowledge of the genus. Furthermore, the validity of some Scirtothrips species is questionable. Therefore, an easy, accurate, and highly reliable technique is desirable for Scirtothrips identification. Here, we provide a simple molecular key based on the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Individual specimens can be identified by amplification of their ITS1 and ITS2 regions with general primers and determining the size of the products by using standard agarose gel electrophoresis, followed in some instances by DNA digestion with the restriction enzymes SacII or PspOM I. The advantage of this identification system is that nonspecialists are able to quickly and cheaply identify individual specimens. Material analyzed for this work was collected in the United States (California), India, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, New Zealand and Raiatea (Society Islands French Polynesia). We have identified seven pest species with the molecular-based methods described here. It is hoped that this system can be extended to other members of the genus as their ITS1 and ITS2 sequences become available. We also provide molecular confirmation for two new Scirtothrips species, one species from Honduras and one species from New Zealand.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Dactylogyrids (Platyhelminthes: Monogenoidea) parasitizing butterfly fishes (Teleostei: Chaetodontidae) from the coral reefs of Palau, Moorea, Wallis, New Caledonia, and Australia: species of Euryhaliotrematoides n. gen. and Aliatrema n. gen.

Seven species of Euryhaliotrematoides n. gen. and 1 species of Aliatrema n. gen. (Monogenoidea; Dactylogyridae) are described and reported from the gills of 15 species of butterfly fishes (Chaetodontidae) from the coral reefs of Moorea (French Polynesia), Wallis (Wallis and Futuna), Heron and Lizard (Australia), Palau (Micronesia), and New Caledonia: Aliatrema cribbi n. sp. from Chaetodon auriga, Chaetodon lunula, Chaetodon trifasciatus, Chaetodon ulietensis, Chaetodon vagabundus, Forcipiger flavisissimus, and Heniochus chrysostomus; Euryhaliotrematoides annulocirrus n. comb. from C. auriga, C. lunula, and C. vagabundus; Euryhaliotrematoides aspistis n. sp. from C. auriga, Chaetodon citrinellus, C. lunula, Chaetodon reticulatus, C. ulietensis, and C. vagabundus; Euryhaliotrematoides berenguelae n. sp. from C. citrinellus, Chaetodon ornatissimus, and F. flavisissimus; Euryhaliotrematoides grandis n. comb. from C. auriga, C. citrinellus, Chaetodon ephippium, Chaetodon kleinii, Chaetodon lineolatus, C. lunula, C. ornatissimus, C. trifasciatus, C. vagabundus, and H. chrysostomus; Euryhaliotrematoides microphallus n. comb. from C. auriga, C. citrinellus, C. ephippium, C. kleinii, C. lunula, C. ornatissimus, C. reticulatus, Chaetodon trifascialis, C. trifasciatus, C. vagabundus, F. flavisissimus, and H. chrysostomus; Euryhaliotrematoides pirulum n. sp. from C. auriga, C. citrinellus, C. lunula, C. trifasciatus, and C. vagabundus; and Euryhaliotrematoides triangulovagina n. comb. from C. auriga, C. citrinellus, C. kleinii, C. lunula, C. ornatissimus, C. vagabundus, F. flavisissimus, H. chrysostomus, and Hemitaurichthys polylepis. All reports of previously described species are new locality records. With exceptions of E. grandis and E. annulocirrus on C. auriga and C. lunula and E. triangulovagina and E. microphallus on C. auriga, all reports are new host records. Haliotrema hainanensis and H. affinis are considered junior subjective synonyms of E. triangulovagina and E. annulocirrus, respectively. Aliatrema n. gen. is characterized by marine dactylogyrids with tandem gonads (germarium pretesticular), haptoral hooks with upright acute thumbs, a coiled copulatory organ with counterclockwise rings and funnel-shaped base but lacking an accessory piece, and a dextral vaginal pore. Euryhaliotrematoides n. gen. is characterized by marine dactylogyrids having tandem gonads (germarium pretesticular), haptoral hooks with upright acute thumbs, a coiled copulatory organ with counterclockwise rings and funnel-shaped base, a vas deferens looping the left intestinal cecum, and a dextral vaginal pore.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A new species of Procamallanus (Nematoda: Camallanidae) from Pacific eels (Anguilla spp.).

A new species of parasitic nematode, Procamallanus (Procamallanus) pacificus n. sp., is described from the stomach of the Pacific shortfinned eel, Anguilla obscura (type host), and from the speckled longfin eel, Anguilla reinhardtii, from northern New Caledonia (Melanesia, South Pacific); from Anguilla sp. (cf. obscura) from the Fiji Islands (Melanesia, South Pacific); and from the giant mottled eel Anguilla marmorata from Futuna Island (Wallis and Futuna Islands, Polynesia). Although a total of 450 nematodes were collected, all specimens were females; this suggests either an extremely rare occurrence of males or parthenogenetic reproduction in this species. Procamallanus pacificus differs markedly from all congeners from fish hosts in possessing a greater number (4-9) of caudal mucrons in the female and by other morphological features. This parasite might become a serious pathogen of cultured eels in the region of the South Pacific. Batrachocamallanus Jackson and Tinsley, 1995 is considered a junior synonym of Procamallanus Baylis, 1923, to which 2 species are transferred as Procamallanus occidentalis (Jackson and Tinsley, 1995) n. comb. and Procamallanus siluranae (Jackson and Tinsley, 1995) n. comb. One third-stage larva of Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. was also recorded from Anguilla sp. (cf. obscura) from the Fiji Islands.

Anguilla↗
PubMed1981

Mapuifagalele, Western Samoa's home for the aged--a cultural enigma.

Mapuifagalele is Polynesia's first home for the aged, and why it exists at all is something of a mystery. Although Samoan families emphatically insist that they can and do provide for their own aged (and in fact suffer loss of face if they do not), this institution is full to overflowing and there is a waiting list. The article discusses the origin and function of this residence for the aged and explores the changing life style, economic patterns and world view that make its existence possible and even necessary.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

Dengue fever, Hawaii, 2001-2002.

Autochthonous dengue infections were last reported in Hawaii in 1944. In September 2001, the Hawaii Department of Health was notified of an unusual febrile illness in a resident with no travel history; dengue fever was confirmed. During the investigation, 1,644 persons with locally acquired denguelike illness were evaluated, and 122 (7%) laboratory-positive dengue infections were identified; dengue virus serotype 1 was isolated from 15 patients. No cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever or shock syndrome were reported. In 3 instances autochthonous infections were linked to a person who reported denguelike illness after travel to French Polynesia. Phylogenetic analyses showed the Hawaiian isolates were closely associated with contemporaneous isolates from Tahiti. Aedes albopictus was present in all communities surveyed on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Kauai; no Ae. aegypti were found. This outbreak underscores the importance of maintaining surveillance and control of potential disease vectors even in the absence of an imminent disease threat.

Dengue↗