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Analysis of the dental morphology of Plio-pleistocene hominids. I. Mandibular molars: crown area measurements and morphological traits.

This study has used accurate measurements of crown area and precise assessments of the morphological traits of mandibular molars in an attempt to define the metrical and morphological characteristics of early hominid taxa. A total of 196 Plio-Pleistocene hominid molars were either allocated to one of six informal taxonomic groups or considered as individual cases. Accurate measurements of crown base area made from occlusal photographs have enabled us to estimate the effects of interproximal wear on crown areas. The average correction factor over the three molar types is around 2-4% with a maximum of 6%. The patterns of distribution of extra cusps show interesting differences between taxa. None of the M-1S in the two groups of 'gracile' hominids from East and South Africa bears a C6, but it is common in the two 'robust' taxa. The distribution of a C7 is the reverse of this, it being rare in the robust' taxa, and more common in the 'gracile' groups. There is thus no simple relationship between cusp number and tooth size. Our observations on the protostylid suggest that though it is more common in the 'robust' australopithecines than the 'graciles', when it does occur it is more strongly expressed in the 'gracile' group. The combination of simple metrical data, and the assessment of morphological traits, can help in the classification of enigmatic or incomplete specimens. Some isolated teeth from the collection at Koobi Fora can confidently be assigned to Australopithecus boisei, and useful guides have been provided for taxonomic assessment of the skull KNM-ER 1805, and the mandibles KNM-ER 1506 and 1820.

Africa, Eastern↗

Analysis of the dental morphology of Plio-Pleistocene hominids. II. Mandibular molars--study of cusp areas, fissure pattern and cross sectional shape of the crown.

Accurate measurements of the absolute and relative size of individual cusps, the arrangement of the primary fissure system and the shape of coronal cross sections of the tooth crown have been used to investigate the pattern of variation in Plio-Pleistocene hominid mandibular molar teeth. Teeth were either grouped into one of six taxonomic categories or considered as individual cases. Univariate analysis of relative cusp areas shows that the two taxonomic categories of 'robust' hominids from East and Southern Africa have relatively small mesial cusps, but a relatively large entoconid and hypoconulid and Principal Component plots of the data show that the 'robust' categories can be distinguished on the basis of relative cusp size. Other evidence suggests that these differences are not likely to be the result of allometric phenomena. Fissure pattern was analysed using the X/Y coordinates of defined reference points. Patterns were compared by Procrustes analysis and the relationships between teeth contained in the resulting similarity matrix were portrayed using Principal Coordinates plots and a nearest neighbours table. The positions of the posterior fovea and the mesial longitudinal fissure were important for distinguishing taxonomic categories. The shape of the coronal profiles proved difficult to quantify, but there were consistent and distinct differences between the South African 'robust' sample and teeth included within the East African Homo category. When these results are combined with those of a previous study of overall crown size and the distribution of extra cusps, they allow the affinities of isolated teeth or contentious specimens to be assessed. For example, our results show that KNM-ER 1506 and 1802 are more similar to the East African Homo group than any other category, and they indicate that though SK 1587 and 1588 are small teeth, they nonetheless are closest to the South African 'robust' category in terms of relative cusp size, fissure pattern and crown profile shape. The closest affinities of the Taung First mandibular molars are also with the South African 'robust' sample.

Africa, Eastern↗

[Nutritional problems among adults in the Sahel].

A definite list of nutritional diseases can be ascribed to the adult people who live in the Sahel. It results from a food consumption rate which, though a decent energetic or caloric level, remains of little values because of some protein, trace element and vitamin deficiencies. Subclinical diseases that can only be detected through routine mass-examinations, are prevalent. But on the other hand, clinical diseases, the most typical and the most frequent of which is nutritional anemia, are of very frequent occurrence too. The usual disturbing factors of the precarious states of nutrition are pregnancy and lactation, the season of the gap and the associated infections.

Adult↗

[Clinical aspects of Kaposi's disease].

Three forms of Kaposi's sarcoma are now described: European and Mediterranean forms; they have been described first, are more frequent in old people, and characterised by angiomatous plaques and nodules; the evolution is slow with relapses and remissions. African forms. They are more frequent in young people; clinical features are different with verrucous and tumoral aspects; the evolution is the same with relapses and remissions. In Eastern Africa forms involvement of the lymph nodes are seen; the evolution is rapid above all for children beneath 10. American forms. They appeared recently, in 1981. They are seen in young homosexuals, middle aged about 32, and related to A.I.D.S.; the evolution is severe without remissions and with visceral involvement. If you compare those 3 different forms, you can see that only when associated with A.I.D.S. Kaposi's sarcoma present a complete and permanent immunodeficiency.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Behavioural effects of cathinone, an amine obtained from Catha edulis Forsk.: comparisons with amphetamine, norpseudoephedrine, apomorphine and nomifensine.

The effect of khat (Catha edulis Forsk., family Celastraceae), a plant used for its stimulant effects in eastern Africa and southern Arabia, has until recently been attributed to the pharmacological action of d-norpseudoephedrine, also known as cathine. The isolation in 1975 of cathinone revived an earlier suggestion that the fresh leaves contained a substance more potent than cathine. The pharmacological assays reported on in this paper appear to confirm the higher stimulant capacity of cathinone. This substance produces qualitatively similar locomotor stimulation in mice and comparable stereotypy in rats as amphetamine does, although it is approximately half as active. The results obtained after pre-treatment with reserpine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, which interfere with the catecholamine system, strongly suggest that cathinone interacts with brain catecholamines by an indirect mechanism and, most probably, by affecting neurotransmitter release of the labile pool.

Alkaloids↗

[Risk of disease in 10,500 travelers to tropical countries and 1,300 tourists to North America].

A survey on rate of illness among 10 500 tourists returning from the tropics and a control group of 1300 from the United States and Canada was performed by a questionnaire completed during the flight back to Switzerland. Only 25% from southern destinations, but 53% from North America, were never incapacitated during their travels. The vast majority of the illnesses were of no consequence, as was reflected by a low rate for bed confinement of 4% and 1% respectively. The most frequent symptoms in the tropics were diarrhea in 34% (mostly of short duration and mild degree), constipation in 14%, upper respiratory illness in 12% and insomnia in 11%. There were significant differences according to sex, age and tropical experience. The influence on pre-existing diseases was assessed. 7% of the tourists returning from the tropics were sick in the course of the year following the journey.

Adolescent↗

Hyalomma (Hyalommina) arabica sp. n. parasitizing goats and sheep in the Yemen Arab Republic and Saudi Arabia.

Hyalomma (Hyalommina) arabica sp. n. is described from 62 adults (29 males, 33 females) taken throughout the year from 23 goats and two sheep, mostly at 200 m altitude in the southern tihama foothills of Ta'izz Province, Yemen Arab Republic. One female from a goat at 2,300 m altitude in this Province may have attached to the host elsewhere and a male from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, was on a goat imported from an unknown source for the traditional religious pilgrimage feast. We postulate that the original host of adults was the Nubian ibex, Capra ibex nubiana F. Cuvier (Artiodactyla: Caprinae). This parasite is most closely related to H. (H.) kumari Sharif, which infests chiefly wild and domestic Caprinae from India to northwestern Iran and Tadzhik, SSR. It also shows relationships to H. (H.) punt Hoogstraal, Kaiser and Pedersen, which parasitizes gazelles and domestic mammals in Somalia and Ethiopia, but differs more widely from the third African-Arabian member of this subgenus, H. (H.) rhipicephaloides Neumann, which feeds on the Nubian ibex and gazelles in the Red Sea and Dead Sea areas. The Hyalomma subgenus Hyalommina now contains seven species, four confined to the Indian subcontinent (including Nepal, Burma, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) and Southwest Asia, and three in eastern Africa north of the equator and Arabia.

Animals↗

Genetic analysis of kifafa, a complex familial seizure disorder.

Kifafa is the Swahili name for an epileptic seizure disorder, first reported in the early 1960s, that is prevalent in the Wapogoro tribe of the Mahenge region of Tanzania in eastern Africa. A 1990 epidemiological survey of seizure disorders in this region reported a prevalence in the range of 19/1,000-36/1,000, with a mean age at onset of 11.6 years; 80% of those affected had onset prior to 20 years of age. A team of investigators returned to Tanzania in 1992 and collected data on > 1,600 relatives of 26 probands in 20 kifafa families. We have undertaken a genetic analysis of these data in order to detect the presence of familial clustering and whether such aggregation could be attributed to genetic factors. Of the 127 affected individuals in these pedigrees, 23 are first-degree relatives (parent, full sibling, or offspring) of the 26 probands; 20 are second-degree relatives (half-sibling, grandparent, uncle, or aunt). When corrected for age, the risk to first-degree relatives is .15; the risk to second-degree relatives is .063. These risks are significantly higher than would be expected if there were no familial clustering. Segregation analysis, using PAP (rev.4.0), was undertaken to clarify the mode of inheritance. Among the Mendelian single-locus models, an additive model was favored over either a dominant, recessive, or codominant model. The single-locus model could be rejected when compared with the mixed Mendelian model (inclusion of a polygenic background), although the major-gene component tends to be recessive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

The bat-eared fox: a prime candidate for rabies vector?

Bat-eared foxes, Otocyon megalotis, are small (3-5 kg), primarily insectivorous carnivores widespread in the more arid areas of southern and East Africa. For many months of the year they live in nuclear family groups, members of which frequently indulge in affiliative behaviour such as play, allogrooming, and huddling. Physical contact between individuals in any particular group is thus common. In addition, groups are non-territorial and intermingle freely at times when exploiting food-rich patches of clumped prey, e.g. individuals foraging for harvester termites, Hodotermes mossambicus.

Africa, Eastern↗

Planning a medical relief mission.

Surveillance of drug consumption and disease incidence from medical relief missions in two locations--southeast Asia and eastern Africa--revealed close similarities. Analgesics, antibiotics, antimalarials, antihistamine or decongestant preparations (or both), bronchodilators, and scabicides were the 10 most commonly used drugs. Orthopedic, respiratory, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and ophthalmic conditions, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, and parasitic infestations were encountered most frequently. Recognition and early treatment of xerophthalmia, trachoma, and onchocerciasis, which are rare in more developed countries but common at tropical latitudes, can prevent the blindness that results from untreated disease progression. Pulse-temperature relationships and fever patterns may offer diagnostic clues to physicians deprived of laboratory support. Important logistic considerations, disease incidences, and selected topics and idiosyncrasies of humanitarian aid missions to tropical communities are discussed in hopes of aiding providers who are planning future relief missions.

Comoros↗

[Estimation of the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission: methodological problems and current estimates. Report of 2 study workshops (Ghent, Belgium, 17-20 February 1992 and 3-5 September 1993).The International Study Group on mother-child transmission of HIV].

In the last eight years, numerous cohort studies have been conducted to estimate the rate of mother-to-child (MTC) transmission of HIV. Many of these have faced problems in data collection and analysis. This made it difficult to compare transmission rates (TRs) between studies. Two workshops on methodological aspects of the study of MTC transmission of HIV-1 were held in Ghent (Belgium) in February 1992 and September 1993. Fourteen teams of investigators participated, representing studies from Central (5) and Eastern Africa (3), Europe (2), Haiti (1) and the USA (3). A critical evaluation of the projects was carried out, under four headings: 1) enrollment and follow-up procedures, 2) diagnostic criteria and case definitions, 3) measurement and comparison of MTC TRs and 4) determinants of transmission. Reported TRs ranged from 13 to 32% in industrialized countries and from 25 to 48% in developing countries. However, no direct comparisons could be made because methods of calculation differed from study to study. Based on this review, a common methodology was developed during the 1992 workshop. Agreement was reached on definitions of HIV-related signs/symptoms, paediatric Aids and HIV-related deaths. A classification system of children born to HIV-1 infected mothers according to their probable HIV infection status during the first 15 months of life allowed the elaboration of a direct method of computation of the TR and of an indirect method for studies with a comparison group of children born to HIV-seronegative mothers. This standardized approach was subsequently applied to selected data sets to update previous estimates and provide a comparison of the MTC TRs of HIV-1 in 13 different settings. TRs were calculated during the 1993 workshop by the participating teams, using the direct and indirect methods. TRs based on the intermediate estimate obtained with the direct method ranged between 12.7 and 42.1%. Estimates of TRs obtained with the indirect method ranged from 20.7 to 42.8%. TRs observed in developed countries ranged from 14 to 25% with the direct method. In the developing world, these rates ranged from 13 to 42% with the direct method, from 21 to 43% with the indirect method and most of the studies reported a TR in the range of 25 to 30%. In general, both methods provide a reasonable estimate of the true TR. The risk of MTC transmission of HIV-1 tends to be higher in children born to HIV-seropositive mothers in Africa than in Europe.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗